


There's a Million Things I Haven't Done (But Just You Wait)

by flightofthedragons



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Billy can't control his powers, Eli and Nate scream at each other a lot, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gen, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, No one knows what they're doing, Pre-Canon, Slow Burn, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-10 07:25:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6972937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightofthedragons/pseuds/flightofthedragons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Theodore Altman," Iron Lad nodded at him. "Now we are all assembled."</p><p>Eli snorted. "Really? You're gonna use that line?"</p><p>- - -<br/>Four teenage boys meet. They aren't a team yet, not by a long shot. None of them know what they're doing, they barely know each other, and they're expected to take down a super villain without the Avengers' help. It's everything Billy dreamed, and he can't help be disappointed by the reality. It's nothing Teddy ever imagined, and he's overwhelmed.</p><p>But they're coming together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's a Million Things I Haven't Done (But Just You Wait)

They were supposed to meet at a park about a block away from the site of the Avenger's mansion. Teddy was already late, running off of the subway at as quick a speed as he could manage without knocking anyone over. It was the first day- the first meeting, a fresh start- and Teddy was preparing to make his first impression fifteen minutes late. Twenty if he couldn't hurry.

A black, bald-headed guy glared at Teddy as he barreled past, and Teddy apologized frantically. He prepared to move past the other teen when he recognized the armored figure conversing with him. "Iron Lad," he breathed, catching his breath. "Sorry I'm late. Subway."

"Theodore Altman," Iron Lad nodded at him. His tone was businesslike. Teddy felt relieved he wasn't being put on trial for his late appearance. "Now we are all assembled."

Bald and Grumpy snorted. "Really? You're gonna use that line?"

"Yes!" Iron Lad said briskly. "Obviously, we all know why we are here, as I briefed each of you when inviting you to this spot. I suggest we introduce ourselves, as we are going to be working together in this endeavor. I am Iron Lad, of course."

Silence fell for a moment. Teddy watched the others in anticipation.

"Um, were we supposed to come up with superhero names for this?" The voice came from a dark haired boy wearing a sweatshirt that was probably two sizes too big, the last of the four boys standing there. "Because I didn't- um, I mean, I've thought about it, but-"

"I'm Eli Bradley," interrupted the boy Teddy had run into. "No codename."

"Are you related to Isaiah Bradley?" Sweatshirt Boy asked excitedly.

Eli blinked, taken aback. "He’s my grandfather. I got my abilities from him. How do _you_ know about him?"

"I'm a superhero nerd," the boy proclaimed unabashedly. "Does that mean you're a super-soldier? Cool. I'm Billy Kaplan. I don't really know what all I can do; I only found out a few weeks ago I had _any_ sort of powers.

Eli's eyebrows went up at that, but he didn't say anything. A beat of silence passed before Teddy realized that it was his turn to speak.

"I'm Teddy Altman," he introduced himself. Teddy let himself fall into his friendliest smile. "Shapeshifter. Uh, and super strength too."

Eli nodded, acknowledging Teddy, then turned back to Iron Lad. Billy remained staring at Teddy; the shapeshifter wasn't sure what his gaze meant, but its intensity threw him off.

"Who are you really?" Eli's voice broke into the tension, "and why do you need heroes?" The metal mask shifted, and Iron Lad's face looked uncertain. What was the point, Teddy wondered, of wearing a mask that didn't even hide your emotions?

"There's a danger coming. The Avengers won't take it seriously, so we have to be ready to defend against it. I know I'm asking you to take a lot on faith, but I can't tell you more yet."

"Can you give me a reason to trust you at _all_?" Eli asked.

"I found you, didn't I?"

A beat passed, with the other three boys looking around at each other. "How _did_ you find us?" Billy asked.

As Iron Lad explained, Teddy couldn't help but wonder- if the program really was started by the Avengers, then why was Iron Lad the first to mention it to them? He always just assumed he was a mutant, but if Iron Lad was right and his father had connections to the _Avengers-_ did his mom even know? If they'd been keeping tabs on him, why had no one told _him?_

"Are you seriously telling me that the _Avengers,_ who have hardly ever even acknowledged what was done to my grandfather to produce _their_ Captain America, had my family's name on file and took for granted that we would come running when they _needed us?_ "

"I don't know!" Iron Lad insisted. "I don't know what plan they had. I just know that right now _I_ need you. And that none of you would have come if you didn't want to be heroes."

Teddy wanted to look down at that; it was true, but he felt ashamed to have it said out loud. Instead, he schooled his features into a carefully blank mask, shapeshifting to ensure no color or involuntary movement occurred.

"He's right," Billy volunteered. "I'm not ready to save the world or anything, but apparently I've got superhero powers I never know about and so do you guys and that's the most amazing thing I ever could have imagined. I don't want to say goodbye just because we don't have a good enough reason to get to know each other. We might never get another chance at this." He looked pleadingly at Eli and at Teddy, who found himself shrugging, afraid to voice a real opinion.

Eli considered it. “I'm not saying I trust you,” he warned Iron Lad, “but we should at least exchange contact information. You're right.”

Billy beamed, and Teddy felt something settle, warm, in his chest. He handed over his phone number without complaint, hesitant to show the smile he felt. Despite everything, he was getting a new beginning.  
\- - -

E. Bradley, 8:34pm, _We should make a schedule_  
B. Kaplan, 8:37pm, _I'm pretty much always free_  
E. Bradley, 8:39pm, _Let’s meet at least 3-4 times a week_  
T. Altman, 8:40pm, _Mondays and Wednesdays and whatever weekend days we can?_  
E. Bradley, 8:43pm, _Works for me. If iron boy is into it_  
\- - -

Billy wasn't sure what to expect when Iron Lad approached him about a new Avengers force, but he could never have dreamed up anything like _this._ They were four boys pretending to know what they were doing when it was obvious they didn't, messing with and trying to use powers that- in Billy's case at least- they didn't even know _why_ they had. The others at least seemed accustomed to their own abilities, even if they were new at being a team. Billy couldn't even assure that his lightning wouldn't accidentally zap some unintended victim when he was startled.

Even so, he was part of this team. He was an equal, if not with Iron Lad and Eli's heated conflicts over leadership than at least with Teddy's complacent, voiceless shifting. Billy may have gotten beaten up by bullies at school a few times more than he was entirely proud of, but no one could say he stood back and _let_ things happen to him. He stayed out of the shouting matches and shared his opinion when he had one. That was more than could be said for Teddy, who seemed content to stand by and let events unfold without ever taking a stance or even having an emotion. They were _practically Avengers_ for fuck’s sake, wasn’t that something to get excited about?

But no, Teddy just stood there, watching mutely, and never disagreed with anyone. He was always quietly likeable in such a bland way that it made Billy’s blood boil.

Billy wasn't being fair, he knew that. But he couldn’t understand why Teddy- who could appear _any way he wanted-_ had chosen to look exactly like the people who hurt him at school. It was like he was _purposely_ going for indifferent and above it all look that haunted Billy. And while nothing Teddy said to Billy was ever openly rude, he was never anything but unerringly cordial either. He never acted like a _person,_ much less a friend. Teammate. Comrade. _Whatever._ It was infuriating.

"Billy," Iron Lad scolded. "Please focus."

"Right. Sorry." Billy breathed, trying to calm his nerves. They hadn't yet fought anyone but each other, , and Billy was nearly always wrecked with anxiety. He took note of the tree Iron Lad wanted him to target and imagined lightning striking it the way it had struck Kesler.

Nothing happened.

Maybe if he imagined it _was_ Kesler, if he truly wanted the tree to _hurt-_ but thinking of Kesler like that brought forth the image of the bigger boy on a stretcher and nearly dead because of Billy. He felt his heart kick back into overdrive.

"Are you sure he can do this?" Eli asked, and Billy turned to glare at him. Eli was watching intently, waiting for a show. Teddy, next to him, had his gaze away from Billy like he was bored of it all. For some reason, being ignored set off Billy’s anger even more.

He felt the energy crackle around him before he even turned back to focus it.

It was exhilarating.

It was _terrifying._

"You could be really, really powerful," Eli observed with awe in his voice. Shocked that Eli’s words nearly sounded like a _compliment,_ Billy turned around to observe the damage. The tree was smoking slightly, a blueish tinge to its charred surface.

"What else can you do?" Someone asked. Billy wasn't sure who, nor did he have an answer for them.

"Sometimes weird things happen around me," he confessed. "Like, wishes, almost. Might be coincidences, but there's always something _off._ I don't know how it works, though."

 _"Magic,"_ Eli grumbled. "Good fucking luck working that out."

"Do not worry," Iron Lad addressed Billy but looked sideways at Eli. "We will figure it out before you need to defend yourself in battle."  
\- - -

Their first battle ended up being a lot sooner than planned. The four boys were tired and sweat-drenched after training together, and had been heading back to the mansion to shower and change when Eli stiffened, standing at full height. 

"Come on," he urged suddenly. With no other explanation, he dived toward the street, leaving the other three no choice but to exchange bewildered glances and follow him. 

On the other side of the street, an empty car sat by the curb. Eli leaped over the hood of this car without hesitation, racing toward something under the buildings behind it. Iron Lad flew behind him, following the same path, while Teddy and Billy skirted around the car to follow. A narrow strip ran between the tall buildings, the car blocking view of the scene within it. 

There were three people already standing there, one cowering under the other two against the brick outside. Teddy watched as Eli ran up, grabbing one of the threatening boys by the shoulder and ripping him from his position. He threw the boy away from him, not even looking to see where the hostile went as he stared down the other. Teddy winced mentally at the SMACK! he heard when the boy landed, Eli's super strength causing a dent in the concrete under his back. 

"Eli!" Iron Lad reprimanded sharply. "These are human adolescents; we cannot harm them."

" _We're_ human adolescents," Eli shouted back, but he resisted physically assaulting the boy who was still standing. 

The boy in question looked around at their team with wide eyes, his jaw hanging open just a bit. He was shorter than Teddy but taller than Eli, and probably older than both of them. His clothes hung off his body awkwardly, giving him an impression of bulk that Teddy was willing to bet wasn’t solid enough to take a hit.

“What, you weren’t expecting us?” Teddy heard Billy say from behind him with more venom than Teddy’d ever heard from him before. Billy stepped forward, a laughably unimposing figure next to the older stranger. “I’m getting real tired of jerks like you, so here’s your options. If you don’t want Eli here knocking you out, you can either give her whatever cash is in your wallet and promise to stay out of her hair,” Billy indicated the figure, sitting quietly against the wall, whom Teddy now realized was a young woman with a bruise swelling across her lower cheek, “or I can deal with you myself.” When the stranger made no action to move, Billy shrugged in a manner that was anything but casual. “Or you could call the cops on yourself, I guess, and leave them to deal with you instead of us. Your choice.”

“But if you elect not to leave here peacefully I _will_ hurt you. I’m so _done_ with standing back and letting people like you think you can do whatever you want to people who can’t protect ourselves.”

Absently, Teddy’s brain picked out the ‘our’ and wondered what the lightning-conjuring mage was thinking of. Mostly, though, he stared freely at Billy, who spoke with an unsteady voice, who stood taller on both legs than in his usual slouch, who was angry and passionate and stunning.

“Uh… kid…” the street creep glanced at Eli nervously but made no movement, “you’re insane. I don’t care how tough your friend here thinks he is, he’s not the only guy around here who knows where to get some MGH. I’ve got no reason to obey a thirteen year old.”

 _“Sixteen,”_ Billy hissed. “ _Now pay up.”_ He pushed himself onto the balls of his feel in a surge of energy, blue light dancing in his eyes, but just then the street creeper pulled out his wallet and handed a wad of cash to the girl on the ground.

“I’m real sorry ‘bout that,” he said when she didn’t take it. “Here. I’ll make sure none of us bug anyone around here anymore.” He then set the money down and walked away stiffly, while the five people remaining stared in shock.

“What the hell was that?” Eli voiced for all of them.

“Are you a witch?” The girl asked with wide eyes.

“Um. I’m not- maybe?” Billy looked down at his own hands with more fear than he’d shown the guy he’d apparently warded off.

“What did you do to him?” Another voice asked from the entryway behind them. Teddy turned to see six more figures approaching, blocking them in.

“Finally, a fair fight,” Eli grinned.

“No permanent damage,” Iron Lad warned. “If you can avoid it, nothing dire enough to draw a hospital’s notice.” 

“No promises,” Eli said as he and Teddy stepped forward.

Iron Lad floated above while Billy stepped back. “Do we necessarily have to fight?” He asked meekly.

“Like you’d stand a chance. My buddies and I are all enhanced, I promise you. You wouldn’t last a minute.”

“Now!” Iron Lad commanded. “Attack.”  
\- - -

They won. Despite being outnumbered, despite being inexperienced, Eli, Iron Lad, and Teddy had managed to fend off the new attackers while Billy led the injured girl to safety and avoided the conflict.

"That was… kind of intense," Teddy panted in the aftermath. He was taller than usual, arms disproportionately long. Suddenly self-conscious, Teddy shifted back to the form the team was used to seeing.

“Hey Eli, next time you should warn us before you go throwing muggers into buildings,” Billy suggested.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the super soldier grinned. “Would you prefer we all deliver lines that sound like they came out of a bad police procedural?”

Billy shrugged. “I didn’t know what else to say! I got sick of running from bullies.” He flushed prettily, and Teddy forced himself to look away.

"And are you sure we shouldn't have called the police?" Billy asked meekly. "What if they come back?"

"They won't," Eli said with certainty.

"How can you be sure?"

The other boys exchanged glances, then looked back at Billy. "Do you know what you did to that first guy?" Iron Lad asked.

"No," Billy said honestly. "That’s never happened before." Relief flooded Teddy’s body, prelacing tension he hadn’t been aware of.

Iron Lad nodded. "I believe your powers may involve some element of manipulation over people and objects."

Billy visibly paled at this statement. "That girl- she called me a witch," he pointed out, causing Iron Lad to look pensive.

"You might be one," Eli spoke up. "We don't really know _what_ you are, and 'magic' seems to be a pretty apt descriptor. You might even be a reality warper."

"What if my parents find out? We're _Jewish,_ my mom's a _psychologist,_ they don't even know-" Billy broke off. "What if those guys find us?"

"I do not believe that these particular foes would find it worthwhile to try," Iron Lad reassured, oblivious to the guilt now churning in Teddy’s stomach. "However, this brings up an important point. We need codenames," he announced. "They will enable us to communicate in battle without giving away our identities. This will work better if we all name ourselves after the original Avengers."

"That's where you're wrong," Eli argued. "We're _not_ the Avengers. Hell, _the Avengers_ aren't the Avengers right now. What's the point in pretending to be other people?"

"It will help us to get attention," Iron Lad reasoned. "People will notice if a team modelled after the most famous superheroes of all time is seen fighting evil."

"Do we necessarily _want_ people to notice us, though?" Billy's voice, meek and uncertain. "We're not exactly the most organized group."

"Not to mention, _we're not the Avengers,"_ Eli practically shouted. "I'm not going out calling myself 'Power Lad' just because you've got the creativity of a fourth grader with a special interest."

"Actually, I was thinking Captain America for you. After all, he, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk are by far the most recognizable-"

"Oh, _hell no."_

"You want me to be the Hulk?" Teddy asked.

"It seems most logical," Iron Lad nodded. "Billy can conjure lightning, after all."

"Actually, um. It's not like people are gonna think we're _actually_ the Avengers anyway, right? And if we think I might be a witch, maybe I should be the Scarlet Witch instead."

"We shouldn't have to be anybody but _ourselves,"_ Eli hissed. "We're not young Avengers. I'm not my grandfather, and I am sure as hell not that white, freeze-dried relic."

"No one is expecting you to be. But if we can model ourselves after the Avengers we'll be able to get their attention, and they might _listen to me."_

"Why _should_ they listen to you?" Eli asked. "Why should _we?_ You're not our leader, you've never even shown us your face."

"That doesn't matter," Iron Lad replied shortly. "If we are in agreement that we need codenames, then we will go with my plan. Teddy, can you shift to resemble the Hulk?"

Teddy nodded, throat dry. Gods, _could he-_

"You will just have to learn to maintain a Hulk-like form, then. And Billy can restrict himself to forms of magic which resemble Thor, which should work out well since you have yet to master control over your other abilities."

"Isn't that precisely why we should be focusing on them?" Eli argued. "We're seriously limiting ourselves if we stop our shapeshifter from changing his form and keep our mage from performing most forms of magic. None of us know what we’re doing, and we need every advantage we have." 

"We need _backup,"_ Iron Lad declared. "No matter what abilities we have, the four of us alone can't-"

"Can't _what?"_ Eli demanded. "What are you so afraid of? Since when do we need the Avengers for anything?"

"Since Kang the Conqueror is coming!" Iron Lad shouted.

Silence threatened to make an appearence, but Eli was ready to start fighting again in only a moment. "Why should we believe you?" Teddy glanced at Billy, wondering what his reaction was to this news. Billy stared at Iron Lad in shock, but Teddy couldn't tell whether he shared Eli's incredulity.

Iron Lad swallowed nervously. "Please, just trust me on this," he begged. Teddy almost did- Iron Lad certainly knew about enough other things he shouldn't have been able to. But Eli wasn't having it.

"I'm done with your secrets," he announced. "When a dude in a mask offers you candy, you run. You don't jump in his white pedo-van and join his superhero team. Either tell us the _truth,_ or I'm out."

Iron Lad's face went through a series of contortions, as though he wanted to say something but couldn't bring himself to. Finally, instead of explaining, he shook his head.

Then he reached up, grabbed the sides of his metal face, and lifted the Iron Lad helmet up off of his face. A boy's face stared back, as young as Teddy's own, with a crop of black hair and blue eyes that blinked back at them.

"I'm from the 30th century, originally. When I came to this era, it was with the knowledge that Kang is coming. He's seeking something particular that is located in this time."

"Seeking _what?_ You keep being vague. How do you even have this information?" Eli asked. "Who the hell _are_ you, ‘ _Iron Lad’?"_

Without the metal face, the name was ill fitting and the amount they didn't know about their teammate was even more pronounced. Iron Lad seemed to realize this, too, based on his next words.

"I can't say all of that yet," he mumbled. "But my name… is Nate. You can call me that, when we're not in the field."

Teddy and Eli looked at each other, then at Billy.

"Okay," Billy said for all of them.

"We're done for the day," Eli announced. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Teddy echoed just for Nate's relieved smile.  
\- - -

True to Teddy’s word, everyone returned. Billy thought that was the most surprising part, that people like Eli and Teddy thought a shambling, bumbling thing like this was worth coming _back_ to. The first time was curiosity, this repetition was an effort.

Billy felt wary, coming back in. Iron Lad looked much the same, metal face morphing into an expression of trepidation. If their nervousness was shared by the others, Eli and Teddy were better at hiding it. Teddy’s facial expression revealed as little as ever, and Eli marched forward with blunt determination. 

“Patriot,” he announced with no context. The others stared at him, waiting for explanation. Eli seemed to realize it was needed and continued. “You can call me Patriot. When you need to use something other than my name.”

It was a concession of sorts; ‘Patriot’ wasn’t an obvious parallel to the Avengers the way that Iron Lad was, but it wouldn’t be too difficult to connect the two.

“I can be the Hulk,” Teddy offered pleasantly. Then he demonstrated this ability, and all Billy could see was _green_ and _muscle_ and he wanted simultaneously to stare forever and to look away immediately. The Hulk was not attractive; he was overpowered and anatomically improbable and on top of it all _green._ But Teddy removed his shirt to spare it from being pulled apart in the transformation, and a few brief seconds passed in which all Billy could think was _this is what Teddy looks like shirtless._

“So, what, are you just going to be the Hulk now?” Billy heard himself say. Three heads instantly turned to look at him and Billy realized he’d mistakenly garnered their attention. “Just… pointing out… people are probably going to wonder why Bruce Banner’s suddenly hanging out with a bunch of teenagers. And when he got his ears pierced.”

“So we call him something else,” Iron Lad solved, “to indicate that he, too, is a teen.”

“You could be Hulk jr.” Eli smirked. “Hulk-lite. The Ugly Hulkling.”

Teddy shrugged. “Okay,” he accepted.

 _“Okay?_ You’d really let us call you The Ugly Hulkling?”

“Yeah, I mean… Hulkling’s not so bad of a name.”

Eli and Billy stared at him skeptically. “Either you have no taste,” Billy accused, “or you’re as bad at voicing real opinions as you are at real facial expressions.”

Nobody said anything, but suddenly Billy felt overwhelmingly self-conscious. “What?” he asked as Eli and Iron Lad stared at him in disbelief. “You cannot tell me I’m the only person who noticed that.”

Teddy, predictably, masked his face with careful neutrality as he retaliated with “and who are you going to be?’

 _Myself,_ Billy thought, viciously empathizing with Eli for one brief, sharp moment. “I’ll be an Asgardian, I guess,” he stated instead. “I can do lightning. I can’t do much else very well. I’m not that strong, though?”

The others nodded, some with doubtful glances. “You’re not very Norse,” Eli agreed. “But if you’re really sure that you want to do this… it could work. I suppose.” No one else said anything, but Iron Lad looked relieved, so Billy figured that was enough.

“There’s one more thing. That you guys should know.” Billy gnawed his lip anxiously, “I’ve actually… never told anyone this….” He trailed off.

 _But people have still guessed,_ he reminded himself. _And they’ve hurt you for it. Why would you volunteer an excuse to punch you?_

The others were still staring at him. Billy swallowed nervously, teeth releasing his lip. _How about you shut up?_ He argued back, steeling himself.

“Right,” he inhaled. “I’m. I’m gay.” _There. I said it. Can’t take it back now, Kaplan._ His heart pounded traitorously while the others continued to look at him with blank expressions. 

“Great for you,” Eli said dryly. Some of Billy’s anticipation must have shown on his face, because a moment later Eli gave the barest hint of a smile. “Glad you told us. Doesn’t change anything.”

Iron Lad hesitated, then nodded dumbly along with Eli’s words. Confusion showed on his metal expression, uncomprehending but unthreatening. 

_They don’t care,_ Billy realized. No one was cheering him on or joking to make it okay, but no one was angry or threatening, either. They honestly didn’t think anything of it. Relief seeped into his core, bright and warming and allowing him to breathe easily again. That was...new. How ironic, that the first time he felt brave enough to say it out loud was the first time his preference felt less than the end of the world. “Thanks,” he mumbled. No one said anything, but he wasn’t sure whether that was because they didn’t hear him or because no one felt it was worth responding.

Then Billy spotted Hulkling staring intently at him, not saying anything. Billy shivered in the summer heat. He wished he could call his teammate out, but truthfully Billy wasn’t sure he could stomach facing the response. Instead he turned his focus away from the green teenager.

“Okay then,” he spoke over the knots in his stomach. “If you’re all cool with that… let’s do this ‘team’ thing.”  
\- - -

It was about a month into the existence of the team when, after Iron Lad dismissed them all from training as per usual, Billy swallowed thickly and said "wait."

The others looked at him, poised to leave but willing to hear him first. "Maybe… we shouldn't just split?" he suggested meekly, the words barely making it out past his throat.

"I'm not walking you home," Eli said resolutely. "I've gotta get back to the Bronx."

"I mean, what if we hang out? Get to spend time together as _people,_ and not just super powered allies."

Eli, unsurprisingly, looked unconvinced. Billy turned his gaze toward Nate, hoping the time traveler would be on his side when it came to the topic of group bonding, but Iron Lad was suspiciously quiet and wouldn't meet Billy's eyes.

"It's a good idea," said a voice behind him. Billy stiffened in surprise when he realized it was Teddy's.

"Really?" he started skeptically, but Eli looked like he was actually considering it and Nate seemed curious now. "I-I mean, yeah. I thought so, anyway. We don't really know each other, for all we've been meeting up regularly."

Iron Lad- _Nate-_ removed his helmet slowly. "You may be right," he admitted. "What did you have in mind?"

Billy floundered at that for a moment. "Pizza?" He suggested hesitantly. What did guys his age even _do_ in groups?

"There's a place about three blocks that way we could go to," Hulkling offered, pointing with his thumb. Billy nodded assent, glad to have someone else take over the suggestions. Eli and Nate did the same, and the four looked at each other awkwardly for another moment before Teddy said "Alright then," and started moving.

The rest followed wordlessly, at times trailing as much as a building behind at times before awkwardly stumbling into a closer pack. They were still in the clothes they’d trained in, although Teddy had shifted back into the less green version of himself. Nate kept drawing eyes from passersby in his full body metal suit, and Billy was coming to regret not changing. He was sticky with sweat and fairly certain anyone around him could smell his armpits. No one else looked bothered, and Billy wondered whether their superpowers made them immune to sweat or if they were just better than him at hiding their discomfort. Or maybe they were all so uncomfortable being near each other that Billy had taken their awkward faces as default. But if that was the case, then what must they all think of _him?_

Teddy slowed to a halt, grinning as he caught Billy's eye. The Jewish teen swallowed his nerves, unwilling to be caught like prey under Teddy's stare. He breathed twice, deeply, while Teddy pushed open the door and the others took wide circles around Billy to follow him.

Billy trailed in behind Nate, suddenly closer in proximity to his group than on the entire way over. Teddy led the way confidently to a table in the back corner and sat. Eli slipped in across from him and Nate followed suit, leaving only the seat next to Teddy available. Billy filled in his spot, determined not to make a big deal out of this, but his skin still crawled unpleasantly as he joined them.

He felt the urge to pull his limbs inward, as though an invisible barrier sat between him and the impossibly broad Hulkling and Billy had to condense himself to avoid breaching it.

"So…" Billy lead, filling the silence more than anything. "Pizza…." The others were looking at him now, and Billy could feel his face reddening, but he couldn't help himself. They'd been quiet for too long, and now that he was less than two feet away from each of them he couldn't handle any more silence. 

"Have you had pizza before?" Billy directed the question toward Nate with a nod of his head.

The time traveler lifted his eyebrows. "Are you asking whether pizza still exists in nine hundred years?" Billy shrugged, toying with his napkin instead of looking up. "Well, I won't give that away," Nate smiled. "You can guess for yourself whether this is new to me or not."

Eli snorted. "Again with this 'mysterious' bullshit? Come on, _Nate,_ we know you're human under that metal skin."

"That may be," Nate conceded, "but-"

"Are you guys ready to order?" A waitress approached with a friendly grin. The boys looked at each other.

"One of you guys can order," Billy waved his arm. "I'll eat whatever, I don't really keep kosher."

Teddy made a doubtful face. "One large cheese pizza," he said to the server.

"That's it?" she inquired.

Teddy started to nod, but Eli cut him off. "Screw that, no. Half plain, half of it with black olives, spinach, and sausage. Ignore my boring friend here," he said, smiling at the server with a friendliness Billy didn't know he was capable of. Teddy didn't react.

"Alright, I'll go put that in," she offered before moving away from their table.

The moment she was gone, Eli declared, "I'm getting her phone number." Billy could only raise his eyebrows, speechless and awkward.

"Bet you won't," Teddy said casually, not even looking at Eli. "Also: Spinach? Really?" The mood shifted, a challenge up in the air.

"Watch yourself," Eli warned, to which Teddy threw his head back and _laughed._

The sound was loud and warm and Teddy's whole body shook with it. Billy resisted the urge to move even further from the other boy. Across from Billy, Nate gave an uncertain smile. It was strange, seeing him without the helmet- Nate looked so _young,_ as young as Billy felt. If it weren't for the fact that Eli clearly didn't know what he was doing either, Billy might have been inclined to agree with him about the team needing better leadership.

"Can we switch from Wednesdays to Thursdays?" Eli asked. "My manager wants me to switch which days I work, and I told her I'd get back to her. I don't know if you guys have any conflicts."

Billy shook his head to indicate that no, he had not suddenly gained a full social life since the last time they'd discussed scheduling.

Teddy shook his head, too. "Thursdays are clear until basketball season starts," he promised.

Nate didn't bother responding, and Eli didn't comment on his silence. Billy felt bad. For right now, the team _was_ Nate's life, while everyone else had to balance it in the shadows of theirs.

"You play basketball?" Eli asked as he texted his boss. "Are you any good?"

"I’m not point guard," Teddy replied easily, "but I can handle the ball. And I'm big."

That, Billy certainly agreed with. He hoped they weren't about to actually discuss sports, though, since he was already lost in the conversation.

Luckily, the pizza arrived at that moment. "We should play some time," Eli offered before his attention was diverted completely.

Billy focused on his food and pointedly ignored Eli trying to flirt across the table. Maybe this was why he didn't hang out much with guys his age; he couldn't imagine many situations more awkward than this.

By the time the server left, Billy'd gotten most of the way through the food on his plate and was debating the rudeness of taking more while Eli was distracted. Based on the face Nate was making, he had _not_ experienced pizza before, but Billy couldn't be completely sure if that applied to all pizza or to New York pizza or to Eli's preferred toppings, so he mentally called it a draw.

"Where do you work?" Nate asked Eli after a moment.

"Library," he answered curtly, to the surprise of everyone there.

"You work in a _library?"_ Billy heard himself echo. "Are you secretly an old man?"

"Of course not," Eli scoffed. "I just like reading. And organizing things; it's whatever."

"You're a nerd," Teddy grinned. "Eli Bradley is a _nerd._ You should tell that girl where you work; I'm sure that'll impress her."

"Shut up," Eli growled, and Teddy winced.

"Hey, no fair," he laughed. "Don't kick me while we're in a restaurant.

The rest of the meal went easily, without conflict. They didn't have the ease of friendship between them yet, but the uncomfortable distrust was fading away. The team wasn't what Billy dreamed, but it was his.

When their server came back with the bill, she handed it directly to Teddy- presumably because he was the one who reached for it. Billy reached into his wallet to pool in his cash while Eli asked, voice low, if their server minded if he gave her a call.

"Go ahead," she shrugged. "Your friend there has my number." She nodded toward Teddy's hand, the one now containing their bill, and departed as Eli squawked at his teammate without dignity.

"Thank you," Nate said to Billy under the ensuing chaos. "I'm glad we're friends now."  
Billy nodded. He didn't think they were really friends yet, but they were getting there. Finally.  
\- - -

Teddy stared, awestruck, at Billy. He was suspended in the air by his own magic, blue sparks flashing around him. His eyes were closed, scrunched up with exertion as he poured his energy into the spell, and his lips moved with silent prayer that it would work. Lit up in blue, hair flying away in conjured wind, Billy was beautiful.

His eyes opened, and for a brief moment the two made eye contact. Then Billy was yelling, his lightning released from his fingertips as his grasp on the magic slipped away. Teddy froze, unable to make himself move as Billy tumbled down before his eyes. He winced when the other boy landed on his back, hard, suddenly recalling that he was supposed to be spotting for this precise reason.

Teddy rushed to Billy's side. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm _fine,"_ Billy bit out from where he lay on the ground. "No thanks to you."

"I'm so sorry." Teddy apologized profusely, still hovering over Billy. "I just- froze."

Billy snorted. "Great superheroing, _Hulkling."_

Teddy deserved the resentment in Billy's voice, but it still stung. He kept his face carefully blank, too conscious of his emotions to let them show. "Yeah, I should work on that, huh? Uh… do you need help getting up, or….?"

Groaning, Billy pushed himself into a sitting position. "Don't worry, all my limbs work. My back hurts like hell, and I probably have some bruises that'll be fun to explain if my family finds out, but hey- par for the course, right?" He smiled bitterly. "Besides, it's not like I'm not _used_ to it." Teddy offered him a hand. Billy stared at it as though contemplating whether it could be a trap, but after a moment he accepted and allowed Teddy to pull him to his feet.

"I'm going to go see what Nate is doing," Billy announced before Teddy could say anything. "I think I'm done with magic for the day." He brushed Teddy's arm as he walked away, refusing to meet his gaze. Teddy watched Billy go, sighing uncomfortably to himself. Why couldn’t things ever be easy?

He shifted out of his Hulkling form and into something smaller. Smaller than his usual human form, even. The difference probably wouldn’t have meant much, if not for the way his clothing hung off of him after being stretched out by the Hulk form. He stood still, breathing slowly, for a few minutes before electing to move. Then the shapeshifter went to find Eli, since there wasn’t much else to do on his own. 

By the time Teddy caught up to him, Eli was with Billy under some trees. They both looked over to see Teddy approaching, and he was relieved to see that Billy did not look as annoyed by his presence as Teddy had expected.

“What the hell happened to you?” Eli asked, and for a moment Teddy thought he meant the slight differences from his usual shape. Then Eli pointed to the clothing, stretched and torn and draping awkwardly over Teddy’s body.

Teddy shrugged. “Clothes aren’t meant for bodies that change,” he explained. _Mine never stays consistent. Keep enough to stay recognizable, and no one will ever notice the subtle ways you can change overnight._

"It is time." Billy said seriously, "we all knew this day would come, and I am afraid we can ignore it no longer." Teddy shivered at Asgardian's voice.

"What are you talking about?" Eli asked crossly. A grin stretched across Billy's face.

"Costumes! We're superheroes, we've got to have better costumes than this," he indicated their dirt-covered jeans and Teddy's torn shirt. "Iron Lad’s already got his suit, but the three of us are tragically undisguised. How am I supposed to be Asgardian when I still look like Billy Kaplan?"

The face Eli wore resembled the expression one would make if they found a very large, rotting fish in their bed. "Forget it. I'm not wearing this goddamn country's flag across my chest, and I'm _definitely_ not wearing spandex."

"I'm already turning into a Hulk," Teddy pointed out. "Isn't that already kind of a costume?"

At that, Billy crinkled his nose. "In a sense, yeah, I guess. But it means you're still fighting in your normal clothes. And you don't even _fit_ in your normal clothes as Hulkling."

Teddy shrugged. "I could take off my shirt?"

"And do _what_ with it?" Billy sighed. "Look, I know neither of you are thrilled, but we have superhero _names_ and _powers_ and _No. Costumes._ It's a paradox! It's not allowed! And don't you give me that look, Elijah Bradley; your grandfather wore one too."

Eli gave Billy a hard, flat look. "First of all, don't call me Elijah. Secondly, the costume he wore was meant for _white Cap_ and he had to _steal it_ because the fuckin US government wasn't about to give him any _name or recognition OR costume. _Only uniform he was ever _given_ was the brown uniform that the rest of his troop _died in."___

__"I...that's…" Billy floundered._ _

__"Don't try to tell me my own history," Eli shut him down. "I know how important that damn uniform is. I know it's what made him Captain America; the costume he stole and the serum that was forced into him. Doesn't mean I have to like what it represents."_ _

__Billy stared at him, lost for words, before Eli looked away. "If you figure out how the hell we're going to _make _these stupid things, I'll think about wearing one. But right now, you've got nothing."___ _

____"Fair enough." Billy nodded, desperate to move on. "Hulkling-" He turned back to Teddy, who felt his annoyance rise._ _ _ _

____"No." He said bluntly. "I am so _sick_ of people telling me what to look like. I'm big, I'm green. I walk like the Hulk and I punch like the Hulk. I don't need to be wearing purple shorts for people to recognize me."_ _ _ _

____"Good," said Billy sharply, and then a rush of words tumbled out like he'd been waiting for this moment. "You're _a_ Hulk, you're not _the_ Hulk. You're not Bruce Banner and no one expects you to be any more than they expect Jennifer Walters to be an exact clone of her cousin." Frustration creeped into his voice, growing with each word. "That's _why_ you need a costume- so you can start being _you_ when you're Hulkling." Teddy stared openly at Billy, unsure what to think. "Whatever!" Billy threw his hands up. "Forget it. Actually, don't forget it, because this conversation isn't over, but I need to go home right now, so. We'll continue this tomorrow."_ _ _ _

____He turned and flounced away, leaving Teddy and Eli behind. Eli rolled his eyes and turned to leave, while Teddy's eyes followed the witch in baffled wonder.  
\- - -_ _ _ _

______ _ _

The next day, Billy came prepared. He brought what seemed like every art supply he owned, including a 64 pack of Crayola crayons (complete with sharpener!) and colored construction paper.

"What is all this?" asked Nate in confusion.

"Take off the suit and help us, Iron Lad," Billy ordered. "You’ve already got your costume; it's time to design ours."

"Oh, good," Nate said simply, like that was all the convincing he needed, and popped his helmet off to set it down carefully. He watched intently as Billy set up shop on the mansion floor, then reached out to help while Eli and Teddy exchanged perturbed glances.

"Do you actually have a plan?" Teddy asked hesitantly.

"The plan is to figure out what we want our costumes to look like. Then, either we learn to sew or I learn to create costumes with my magic."

"Your witchcraft, you mean?" Teddy asked teasingly. Billy looked at him, caught off guard.

"Uh... yeah. I mean. Maybe." He licked his lip nervously, giving Eli a chance to speak up.

"If this is an either/or, I'm opting for the magic route. Fabric is _expensive_ , and I'm not fighting in low-budget cosplay material."

All of them turned to stare at Eli, who raised his eyebrows defiantly. He had a point.

"What is cosplay?" Iron Lad asked.

"...Basically what we're doing," Teddy said. "Only for different... venues."

When Nate only looked more confused, Billy took over. "People dress up as their favorite characters. Or superheroes. C'mon, you two, get down here." He tossed the box of crayons to Eli, who caught it without glancing away from Billy's face.

"And what exactly do you expect me to do with these? Shall I draw some stick figures?"

"I believe I can help with that," Nate offered as his suit projected a holographic image of Eli. "We can project various images using the suit without any art skills necessary." The holo-Eli flickered, suddenly wearing Captain America's uniform. "We can start from here and adjust the image accordingly."

"Nice," Eli nodded approvingly, "but that's the wrong costume."

"Of course," Nate nodded. The picture rippled to show Isaiah Bradley's stolen costume, and Eli nodded again.

"Can we get a shield like that?"

Billy shrugged. "I can try." He screwed his eyes shut, concentrating intensely as he began to glow blue. After a moment, there was a loud 'pop!' and something metal landed on Eli's foot.

It was about the size of his palm.

"That was a pretty nice attempt," Eli complimented, "but I was thinking more...life-size. And maybe grey?" The palm-sized shield was shaped like the one in Nate's hologram and painted loudly with the American flag.

"No, keep the flag," Teddy laughed. "It'll look good."

Billy flushed deep red. "I'm trying, okay? I guess I just... don't have that much control over my magic, yet."

"That's fine," Eli declared sharply. "It just means you should be _practicing_ -"

Teddy sighed as the old argument cropped up again.

"It makes _sense_ for Asgardian to _mimic Thor's abilities_ -"

"He's not _Thor._ He's not an _Asgardian._ For all we know he could be a _witch_."

"Eli, it's okay, I like being Asgardian," Billy said calmly. "Besides, I suck at everything. Nothing wrong with focusing on a couple things."

"This isn't _focusing_ , it's _limiting what you can-"_

"Because he needs it! This way we can get the Avengers' attention-"

"Because a tiny, male Scarlet Witch wouldn't stand out at all-"

"Um! Eli!" Billy cut in. "Do you want a mask?"

Eli froze. "God, yeah, my parents would f- they, uh. Don't know about the team. So yeah. Mask."

"Cool," Billy breathed. "Um. Red?"

"A domino mask isn't going to cover very much," Teddy pointed out. "Might keep cameras from identifying you, but if it's your parents you're worried about, I’d go with a full cowl."

Eli considered it a moment. "Alright," he consented, "as long as I can still breathe in it."

From there, it was a much simpler task to get everyone into the conversation. Teddy found, to his surprise, that he was actually enjoying himself.

"Wait, you seriously want _tiny wings_ on your head-"

"Eli, you can't have both a shield and throwing stars."

"Why not?"

"They don't go together at all! They belong to completely different fighting styles!"

"Doesn't bother me."

"Are we really ignoring the fact that _Asgardian_ here apparently wants _tiny wings_ -"

"And a staff."

"A what?"

"Like a wizard's or druid's staff. Big piece of wood."

"For _what_?"

"Channeling lightning?"

"Wood's really not the best conductor for that," Eli pointed out. Billy shrugged. "I just think it'd be cool, then. And I want a cape, even if Edna Moe thinks it's a bad idea."

"You really are a nerd about superheroes, aren't you?" Teddy said without thinking.

Billy shot him a dirty look. "Yes, I am, _Hulkling_ , and don't think I've forgotten about you. You're getting a costume."

Teddy groaned in frustration. "Why?" He threw aside his t-shirt and shifted into his Hulk form just to prove his point. "This is as disguised as I'm going to get. I look _nothing_ like a human, so what does it _matter_ what color shorts I'm wearing?"

Billy just stared, unimpressed, and Teddy felt a rush of self-consciousness that he shifted to keep off of his face. He hated doing this, hated that he was so good at it. He'd turn into the Hulk because that's what Iron Lad wanted from him, but Teddy didn't like being on _display_ like this. Especially with Billy standing there, sizing him up and making that face like he didn't like what he saw.

"You still look like you're trying to be someone else," Billy said tightly. "Think about She-Hulk- she turns big and green but she still looks like _her_. Can't you do that? A green, muscly version of what you naturally look like?"

"I don't know," Teddy answered honestly, his voice much more even than it ought to have been. _I don't know what I 'naturally' look like anymore._ Even his human form had been adjusted, manipulated so many times. What difference did it make, anyway? Still, he closed his eyes and thought about it.

Teddy shifted his face into something less exaggerated. He let his feet shrink, followed by the rest of him until he had mostly human proportions. "Is this what you want?" he asked, opening his eyes.

Billy sighed, and Teddy felt his hopes fall. After making a sort of pained face, Billy nodded hesitantly. "That's definitely better," he said gently. "Now your earrings don't look so out of place."

"You don't have to be shirtless, you know." Now it was Eli, for once the less critical speaker. "There's no reason we can't just get you a shirt that's the size of your green body instead of your human one." Teddy thought about it, realizing that he'd said 'human' instead of 'normal.'

"Yeah," Teddy agreed. "That would probably help."

"Cool. Nate, can you set up that holograph thing for Hulkling-"

"Don't bother," Teddy interrupted. "I'll just draw it." Ignoring the stares he was getting, Teddy crouched down and grabbed a pencil and paper from the mess on the floor. This part was familiar to him, even if he wasn't so used to having people watch him as he drew. With the shifted hand, his lines were less steady, but practice guided him though. Short, gestural lines slowly built up the image he wanted, the sleeveless outfit in black.

Strangely, it was easy to decide what clothes he wanted to wear. The skin was harder.

"You drew those shoulders really pointy," Billy pointed out. "Can you do that in real life?"

"I can probably do anything," Teddy said. "I've never tried it, though." He envisioned his shoulders shifting, like plates instead of muscles, until they fit in place in a way that felt comfortable, if unfamiliar. Several sharp inhales caused Teddy's eyes to fly open in alarm.

"What's up?" he asked, but they were all staring at him. Teddy looked down self-consciously, and realized that his whole epidermis had turned scaly and rough. It wasn't pretty, wasn't _human_ , and he felt the instinctive urge to shift the change away, but he didn't. The longer he stared, the more fascinated he was with his own mutation.

"You really could do anything," Billy said in awe like he hadn't believed it before. "What about wings? Could you grow those?"

"P-probably," Teddy stuttered, "but I've never tried to. I don't know how to fly or anything."

"Cool," Asgardian breathed. " _You could be anything you wanted."_

Teddy thought about that; he took in the circle they made in the Avenger's mansion and memorized it- Eli standing with his arms crossed, reinventing his grandfather's legacy. Nate, still in the suit but revealing his head to communicate with them.

Billy, eyes wide and gleaming, staring at Teddy without revulsion for what he could become.

Teddy thought about it, and he knew what it was he wanted.

"I hope you're right about that."  
\- - -

When they wound practice down a few days later, they were sweaty and tired but laughing all the same. Billy could breathe easily, could be _himself_ for what felt like the first time. Eli and Nate were arguing a little less today than usual and Billy had control over his floating today and even Hulkling almost looked like he managed to have some fun, joy pushing onto his face between blankness.

Billy waved goodbye with a light heart and an unshakably good mood. He turned around to head home. Then he stopped. 

Teddy removed his hand from Billy’s shoulder.

“Hey, um,” the shapeshifter’s eyes were intent on Billy a sliver of emotion fading from view before Billy could identify it. “Are you doing anything this weekend?” Teddy asked casually, in his regular voice- as though people like him _regularly_ asked people like Billy about their weekend plans.

“No?” Billy said tentatively. Had he not advertised enough that he did nothing with his life? “I don’t have anything set in stone, at least.”

“Cool,” Teddy exhaled. “Then, um. Would you want to maybe go on a date?”

Teddy watched Billy’s face, waiting for a reaction.

Billy stared back, incredulous.

Words wouldn’t come to him. Billy felt frozen under Teddy’s question, confused and numb and terrified. What was he supposed to say to that? Would Teddy be upset if he said no? Was he supposed to say yes?

Why would a straight boy ask him out?

Suddenly, Billy was angry. At school was one thing- getting punched by people who only _thought_ he might be gay was one thing. But to have that used against him by someone he was supposed to trust? That was another. Billy was done rolling over for bullies.

“No,” he spat, laughing insanely at the ridiculousness of it all, only for the laughter to die in his throat. Billy looked away from Teddy, eyes pointing upward to avoid meeting his face. "Are you crazy, Teddy? Please tell me you didn't think I'd actually say yes to that. I'm gay, yes, but I'm not- not desperate and stupid." It sounded like he was choking on something, his words coming out forceful and tired and raw.

Teddy stammered, but said nothing. His face tinted red, but it was only a momentary trick of the light. After a moment, Teddy shrugged, the very image of cool composure.

The movement caused Billy to look at him, albeit with a critical glare. He watched Teddy for a few more seconds, searching for something. Anything. "Unbelievable," he declared. "You're not even going to defend yourself." 

"I didn't think you would be so... angry," Teddy admitted coolly. He was unaffected, with no stake in the words, and Billy hated him for it. "It was just a question."

 _"A question!_ Hah," Billy scathed. "Perfectly innocent, no malicious intent _whatsoever,_ you thought you'd just ask out the gay kid who's only ever come out to a few people in his life. He might even take you seriously! And wouldn't that be a laugh." Sparks burned dangerously blue in Billy's eyes. "I can't believe I ever expected better of you. Of course you wouldn't understand, you're just.... Too _you."_

"What does that even mean?" Teddy asked, offended enough that even Billy could tell.

“It means you can become _anything_ to please _anyone!_ You've probably never stood out, especially not to an extent where people hurt you for it. I bet you look like this just because you think that's how to impress, huh? What do you even really look like?” Billy spat it out, more passionate than he’d allowed himself to be since he accidentally used his magic to force he mugger to give up his cash.

“I look like _this_ ,” Teddy snapped back. “And now I look like this,” he said, shifting into Hulkling. “What do you _really_ look like, Billy Kaplan? Didn’t you used to be shorter? Skinnier? Or were you fatter- did you have to work _hard_ to look like that? Is that why you’re so mad that I can change at will?” He shifted into a reflection of Billy as he said that, leaving Billy to watch his own reflection hurl abuse at him.

“That’s not the same thing at all,” Billy replied heatedly. “And no, for the record, I didn’t have to try. Some of us just have an appearance, we don't have to manipulate what we want everyone else to think of is all the time.”

“Yeah, well good for you!” Teddy shot back forcefully. He was _finally_ emoting, anger coming off of him in ugly waves. “Glad it’s so easy for you to project _bullied nerd_ at the world. That wasn't even intentional? I'm shocked, truly. And here I thought you were in complete _control_ all the time.”

Billy's face turned near red at that, something dark and murderous crossing his expression. "Sorry I don't _practice_ shooting off lightning and _hurting people_ every chance I get.” Then he turned abruptly, walking to the subway station in a determined march. He didn't turn around once.

If he had, Billy might have gotten to seen Teddy's face when Hulkling finally shifted back to himself. As it was, he missed the changeling’s shattered expression.  
\- - -

The next week passed with stony awkwardness. Billy scarcely glanced at Teddy, even in practice, which made training together difficult. Eli and Nate were definitely aware that something was up, but neither Billy nor Teddy offered any explanation. The two not in the know seemed to be ignoring the tension and hoping it resolved itself. As days passed and Billy seemed no more inclined to speak to Teddy, that hope dwindled. Nate tended to hover anxiously as though he thought he wanted to fix the group dynamic but was uncertain how. Eli, on the other hand, made it clear that he didn't care, so long as they could do their jobs.

While he wasn’t sure they were still meeting this qualifier, Teddy was much more comfortable dealing with Eli than with Nate's worried puppy looks. He was grateful that in training they tended to pair off him with Eli, Billy with Nate. Since Teddy was already practiced at shifting, the two of them focused more on the physical parts of being Hulkling- running quickly when he was larger than his usual size, how to punch effectively and without losing his balance. A lot of effort went into feeling as comfortable in this new form as he did in his usual, enough that it could almost distract him from everything else going on.

Eli, for all he'd been a super soldier his whole life, frequently seemed just as surprised by his own strength. His facial expressions never gave anything away, but he would occasionally overextend just a bit or land a little too hard. When he did, it took him a few seconds to recover, like he wasn't used to his own strength. The two worked well together, for the most part. They didn't talk much, focused primarily on the exercises they did together.

It helped Teddy clear his head, and for once he didn't feel like he had to explain or justify himself to someone. The strategy of pushing himself into training helped him to ignore the fact that Billy resolutely refused to acknowledge him. But after a week had passed, Teddy was feeling disheartened. How long could a person be mad at him? And for what- _having a crush?_ Or was it the argument after? Teddy definitely crossed a line by shifting into Billy, but the other boy was mad _before_ that.

Teddy found himself gazing over to where Billy and Nate were floating over the trees, blasting various fatal lights outwardly. As a result, he almost didn't notice when Eli came close to crashing into him.

"Focus, Altman," he barked gruffly. Teddy shook himself off, determined not to look back at the others.

"Sorry," he apologized. He prepared himself to meet Eli this time, knees bent in as best a fighting stance as he could mimic. The other boy just looked at him tiredly. He inhaled, managing to look put upon before he even spoke.

"Not that it's any of my business, but," he sighed. "You and Billy have a _thing,_ don't you." It wasn't quite a question, more because Eli was hesitant to hear an answer than because he was certain of one. "You're gay, too."

Teddy didn't answer at first. It would have been easy enough to deny, if he wanted to- Eli had no real reason to think he was gay, and Teddy was an expert at hiding his emotions. The question was- _did he want to?_ There wasn’t any reason to keep his sexuality secret, especially not when Billy already know and Eli suspected.

"I asked him out," Teddy explained finally. "It kind of turned into a shouting match, and he hasn't spoken to me since."

Eli raised his eyebrows at the admission. "Sounds dramatic." He seemed to consider going on for a moment, but Teddy's sullen glare silenced him.

"Look, whatever it is between you guys, it's screwing us over. If you two ever actually get into combat together, we're all dead. So please, I don't care how, just work out your deal."

Eli stared harshly, then he scoffed and looked away when Teddy nodded. "Come on, then," he said as though to rid himself of the conversation. "I'm running again. Try not to fall over when I hit you."

Grimacing slightly, Teddy braced himself for the oncoming hit. He kept himself from looking over at Billy and Nate for the rest of practice, and by the end of it he was exhausted and lumbering only slightly less in his Hulkling form. Eli, on the other hand, was barely panting and had gotten significantly better at catching Teddy off guard even when the shapeshifter wasn't distracted.

"I'm done," Teddy declared as the sky tinted dark. Shifting back to default, he flopped down onto the grass with his arms spread out beside him. Eli snorted and lightly kicked his exposed side.

"No more. I quit. I am no longer a superhero until tomorrow," Billy declared loudly, walking up with Nate while Teddy lazily swatted at Eli from his place on the ground. "Superpowers and greater morality are on hold." 

Nate, coming up behind him, frowned. "If a situation comes up, we cannot just stand by because we are tired. We must be prepared at all times." Eli looked at Nate irritably and opened his mouth like he was about to argue. Suddenly Teddy was sick of the whole deal.

"Nate," he interjected before Eli could speak, "come lay in the grass. Relax for two seconds before the inevitable situation arises." Nate gave Teddy a startled glance as though he hadn't seen him there before.

"I am serious," Nate bothered to point out even though he always was. "We cannot afford to waste time or to let our guards down-"

"Rehearsal's over, _Iron Lad,"_ Eli cut in sharply, "the rest of us have _lives._ If something comes up, we'll be there, but right now we're done preparing ourselves for a surprise assault from an enemy you won't even name."

"Guys! Cut it out." Billy glared at all of them in turn, and Teddy found himself resolutely staring up at the sky. "Nate, I was just joking, but really we cannot spend all of our time training. If we overwork ourselves, we'll be exhausted mincemeat for anyone who's actually looking to do damage. Eli," he faced the black teen head on, "knock it off. Stop being overly hostile. You guys are both too _serious."_

"This _is_ serious!" Nate and Eli shouted in unison. They surveyed each other for a brief moment before turning away abruptly.

"Fine," Nate announced. "If you three want to _rest,_ I'll go scouting to see if there's a better place to fly. I do not like having so many trees around Asgardian’s lightning." He put down his face plate and flew off before any of the others could protest. The remaining team looked at each other, unsure what to do.

"I'm off," Eli pointed vaguely in the direction he'd originally come from. "It was fun kicking your ass, Hulkling."

"Suck my ass," Teddy said without heat. Eli raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

"No thanks. We’ve got to keep at least one token straight person on this team, and I’m not sure Robo-Lad’s up for it."

Teddy was all too aware of Billy's staring at him as Eli jogged away. He forced his facial features in place, shapeshifting to hide the color of his cheeks, and continued looking at the sky. Still, Billy didn't say anything. Teddy finally risked a glance at the other boy, only to get caught in his incredulous stare. , Afraid to break eye contact, Teddy stared back. Billy opened his mouth slightly, seemingly about to say something, but then the moment passed and he turned away.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, sounding embarrassed.

It was the first time he'd spoken to Teddy all week.  
\- - -

Okay, for _real,_ being a superhero sucked a lot more than it was supposed to. For starters, superpowers were _awful._ Congrats, Billy could shoot lightning! Any one of his thoughts could suddenly become reality! But he didn’t get to control which ones and flying was _hard_ and his team was-

“You’re not leader just cause you found us!”

“You are not leader just because you can shout loudest!”

-dysfunctional at best. In his less charitable moments, Billy thought _hopeless._ He did not feel particularly charitable right now.

Billy hovered in the air, trying to dodge blasts from Nate below. The point was to worry about flying and ignore the rest of his powers, but it was harder and harder for Billy to control his trajectory and he _wanted_ to be on the ground and suddenly he was flat on his back in the middle of Eli and Teddy’s spar. 

“Shit,” he groaned, afraid to try to stand while his sense of balance was completely thrown off, ears thrumming and disoriented.

“What happened?” Eli and Teddy looked down at him, their fight halted.

“My stupid powers.” Billy pushed himself into a sitting position slowly. “They never _fucking_ do what I want them to-”

“Asgardian!” Nate soared down to meet the group. “Are you okay?” Billy nodded. “You need to focus. We can’t have you shooting off without control in a fight-”

“Nate, leave him alone,” Eli said before Billy could. “He’s trying. He’s had powers for a few _months.”_

“And we’ve been training every week since then! Billy is putting himself in _danger-”_

“I’d say he’s doing a pretty good job getting himself _out_ of danger,” Eli pointed out. “Teleportation is a lot more effective than trying to fly away. And it can be used to confuse our opponents.”

“Only if he doesn’t disorient _himself.”_ Neither Nate nor Eli were even looking at Billy now. They were head to head and glaring at each other, only their words concerned with Billy.

“Guys,” Billy protested weakly. When no one turned, he tried again. “Guys!”

Neither Iron Lad nor Patriot noticed, but Hulkling looked over at the sound. When Billy caught his eye, Teddy’s expression turned guilty. Billy turned away instinctively. Frustration rose in his chest. Some _’team’_ they had here.

Billy looked back at Teddy, ignoring the increasingly loud argument behind him. When the shapeshifter glanced back, Billy rolled his eyes and tilted his head back toward the hotheads. Teddy gave a startled smile, one of agreement. Please with himself, Billy grinned back.

Why was he still sitting under this argument? It wasn’t even about him anymore. Pushing himself onto his feet, Billy moved away from the others. The movement caught Eli’s eye.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Home,” Billy said, weary.

“But we’re still training,” Nate said, surprised. 

In response, Billy gave a flat and unimpressed stare. “Right,” he said after a moment. Then he turned his back toward them, ready to walk away.

All eyes were on him, and for once Nate and Eli had actually shut up. “I’ll come with you,” Teddy offered in his normal, human voice. Billy felt a flash of annoyance, but only shrugged. Soon enough he and Teddy were side-by-side, down the street and away from the mansion.

“Do you think they’ll get their shit together if we leave them there long enough?” Billy asked bitterly.

“I think Eli’s going to give _me_ shit the next time we spar,” Teddy replied. Billy saw the changeling glance at him uneasily, but Teddy didn’t say anything else.

“If you _want_ to say something, just spit it out,” Billy grumbled, utterly through with caring.

“Oh, sorry,” Teddy said sheepishly. “I just...sorry for, like, jumping on your dramatic exit. Are you okay, though?”

Billy was quiet for a moment. He shoved his fidgeting hands in his pockets. “Yeah, of course.” He swallowed air. “Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve got superpowers that scare the hell out of me and we joined a _superhero team_ in which none of us know what we’re doing and leadership is split between a scared little kid and an angry librarian- _both of whom are still better heroes than me.”_

Teddy stared at him with wide eyes, and Billy kicked a pebble on the ground. “I’m fine,” he reiterated, letting the annoyance slip into his voice. “It’s not like I expected… well, anything, really. I guess I can’t _wish_ people into acting like functional teammates. Or caring about each other.”

“I think… we care about each other,” Teddy said carefully. “I just don’t think anyone _trusts_ anyone else.”

“What, you don’t trust me?” Billy tried to joke, but it didn’t come out funny. “Me either,” he admitted.

“I trust you. I don’t trust your magic.” When Billy stared at him incredulously, Teddy shrugged. “You say what you mean. You clearly have some sort of manipulation powers, but _you_ don’t like to manipulate people. Even when you were _pissed_ at me,” Teddy softened his voice, “you didn’t even try.”

“Cause I was mad, not evil,” Billy replied flippantly. He didn’t want to be talking about that. Billy was no longer sure anymore if he should apologize. He wasn’t inclined to, especially seeing as the fight that ensued was both of their faults. But if Teddy really _was_ gay?

Well, it didn’t matter much anymore, did it?

“Um, do you- don’t you take the subway home?” Billy asked, desperate for a change in topic. A weird look passed briefly over Teddy’s face, but it was quickly replaced with his default, blank but seemingly friendly smile. That look was starting to creep Billy out a little bit.

“Do you want me to go here? I- yeah, that’s fine, I can go down at the next block. Um. See you tomorrow,” he said awkwardly.

Billy opened his mouth to backtrack- _oh god, what just happened-_ but it was too late. A moment later, Teddy was walking away and waving goodbye, and all Billy could do was wave back.  
\- - -

E. Bradley, 5:34pm, _Everyone is coming back tomorrow, right?_  
B. Kaplan, 5:34pm, _Depends whether u took the opportunity I gave you to kill Nate w no witnesses_  
E. Bradley, 5:34pm, _he's fine. Are you coming back tho_  
B. Kaplan, 5:34pm, _Maybe I should stay home just to spite you_  
B. Kaplan, 5:34pm, _But that'd require tolerating my younger brothers. i'll be there_  
E. Bradley, 5:34pm, _Cool. Teddy?_  
E. Bradley, 5:34pm, _Teddy?_  
B. Kaplan, 5:34pm, _He's on the subway_  
T. Altman, 5:41pm, _Yea I'll be there._  
T. Altman, 5:42pm, _Maybe we could pair off differently tho? Or not at all_  
E. Bradley, 5:47pm, _I like not at all. We'll run it by Nate tomorrow._  
B. Kaplan, 5:48pm, _You think putting Eli and Nate together is a good plan?_  
E. Bradley, 5:48pm, _We'll have to eventually._  
\- - -

Teddy sat back in his seat, eyes closed and lungs holding in a sigh. That went... a lot better than he'd expected, in all honesty. Billy had _talked_ to him. They were friendly, even, on the way home. At least until Teddy referenced their fight. Teddy felt _light_ , filled with optimism.

And how pathetic was that? Just the idea that Billy might _not actually hate him_ was enough to make Teddy hopeful, even though the two were still uneasy around each other. Billy was right, the team was a _mess_ , and all Teddy really cared about right now was that a boy he barely knew had smiled at him when he was frustrated.

The subway halted, and Teddy opened his eyes. He got off the vehicle and followed the familiar route toward the mansion, still unsure whether he was prepared for this fallout.

The first thing he saw when he pushed open the gate was Eli with Nate, heads bent in fervent discussion. Neither of them was speaking in raised voices, and Teddy’s optimism remained.

Billy wasn't there yet, and Teddy didn't feel like interrupting what could have been the first non-murderous interaction between his teammates in weeks. He tossed his bad haphazardly on the ground and laid at the base of a tree. It was warm and slightly overcast, a perfect day for digging out his sketchbook and looking up at the silhouette of the tree leaves against the sunny sky.

A few minutes later, he had the basic shape blocked out on paper. It looked nonsensical, the negative space creeping between the leaves in bright contrast to the shadows. Teddy debated adding color when he had more supplies on hand.

"What are you doing?" Billy crept toward him. Teddy looked over to see the other half of his team still talking and decided against standing up.

"I'm drawing," he said simply.

Billy's weight fell next to his, their bodies not quite parallel in the cool grass. "Let me see," the Jewish boy said, and Teddy obliged him. "Woah. Cool."

Teddy smiled and flipped to a new page. He wasn't sure what time it was, but if no one was telling him to get up then he didn’t have to stop yet.

"This feels really nice," Billy observed. Teddy wasn't sure whether he was supposed to be listening or not. "We should get them to join us instead of fighting each other today."

A longer silence passed. Teddy rolled onto his stomach to draw more easily, while Billy stayed sprawled on his back. He was such a pretty sight like this, shirt riding up just enough to reveal a strip of stomach, hair mussed up and catching stray bits of grass. Billy's eyes were closed; Teddy forced himself to focus on the drawing before the witch opened them and caught him staring like a creeper.

"Are you really gay?"

Teddy stilled, afraid to look up. "Yeah," he answered.

"Oh." Teddy waited, hoping Billy would say more. "It sucks, doesn't it? Being surrounded by straight people all the time?"

Teddy wished he knew how to respond. “I guess?”

"I mean, I get that you've probably never gotten beaten up before- which by the way _sucks_ \- but have you ever had a straight guy accuse you of looking at him? Or- adults are always asking if you've got a girlfriend yet, girls think you're supposed to be some sort of _accessory_ , and I just…" Billy inhaled deeply. "Sorry. There's… not a lot of people I can talk to about this stuff."

"It's alright," Teddy said because he didn't know what else to add.

"It's like...if I do like someone, it has to be a goddamned _secret_. Like I'm ashamed. And it's always hopeless, because there's nothing you can ever do to make a guy want you if he doesn't want boys in general."

Teddy hesitated to respond, letting silence fall for so long that Billy opened his eyes worriedly. "Yeah," Teddy finally agreed. "I know what you mean."

Billy looked up at him, then. Teddy felt this throat stick, and he refused to look away. 

Shadows fell over the two of them as Nate and Eli approached. "What are you doing?" Eli asked as though he was genuinely curious.

"Rebelling," Billy offered. "We're gonna take on the universe. Join us. Lay here and let the stick in your asses disintegrate."

"What?"

"Lay in the grass," Teddy suggested, trying to shake off the sober air of the prior conversation. "It feels good." Nate looked dubious, but Eli shrugged and complied.

"We've reached an agreement," he said as he sat down. "No more fighting each other. There's a simulator in the mansion; Iron Lad thinks he can get it working. If something doesn't go according to plan, it's only holograms that'll be getting hurt."

"It is not ready yet," Nate pointed out. "But it may be able to help with many of our current difficulties."

"For now, you're right. Laying here feels good. Iron Lad, take that thing off and enjoy the shade."

"Is this more team bonding?" Nate asked with uncertainty.

"Sure," Teddy said.

"Teddy's going to draw us," Billy added.

"No, I’m not."

"Together or separately?"

"Still no," Teddy insisted.

"Fine, he's just going to draw me," Billy said, grinning. Teddy hated him.

"I'm not drawing anyone," Teddy insisted firmly. "I'm taking a nap."

"I'm still not sure this is productive."

"Hey, Nate," Billy spoke up, "did you know that most people our age spend their summer _relaxing_?"

"How about we count today as productive if we manage to get through the whole time without anyone bickering?" Teddy suggested. After a brief consideration, the others agreed, which was probably a sign that they needed to address the amount of infighting. Teddy didn’t care; he was content to lay in the grass with his history concealed under his tongue.

It was one of the best days Teddy'd experienced in a long time. The stress of having to be _Hulkling_ wasn't there; the sun warmed his own, human skin and his voice was his own and he felt happy and comfortable. The stress of their impending doom was ignored in favor of enjoying themselves.

"Nate, why do you insist on cooking yourself?" Billy asked the time-traveler who had ignored suggestions to take off his armor.

Nate shrugged, his helmet on the ground beside him. "I do not wish to be vulnerable right now," he said simply.

"Maybe you should try becoming a lizard like Teddy," Billy joked.

"Shut up," Teddy said without heat. "Just because my skin turns scaly doesn't mean my entire biology changes.

"But are you a mammal?" Eli asked, curious. "Shapeshifting is a weird mutation, does it have a limit? How much of your own DNA can you rewrite, and how is it that you change the outside without changing your brain? Unless... it's an illusion? Can you feel the differences?"

Teddy stared blankly at Eli. "What," his voice fell away.

"Think about it. Your default is human, but you could turn into _anything_." Excitement rose in Eli's voice. "Not just any person, you could be a dog or a reptile or- maybe a tree? We don't know your limits but you could be literally _whatever you can think of_.

"I... I don't know that I could do any of that," Teddy said honestly. "Mostly I've used my abilities to mimic famous people." He felt ashamed admitting that; Teddy would always have to live with his past, but that didn't mean he was completely ready to share it.

None of them really shared much about themselves, did they? These were his best friends, and Teddy only sometimes felt like he knew them at all. He didn't mind that so much, though, if it meant they would only ever know him with the faces he showed them.

This team was his new beginning, and he was spending it on his stomach in the shade. He was spending it in a skin he’d chosen, surrounded by people who _knew._

"I guess I'll see you all in a couple days."

"Farewell, friends," Nate said awkwardly. 

Teddy smiled at him while he stretched his back out. "Bye, Nate," he responded. He grabbed his sketchbook (which now contained doodles of all the team, but Billy was never going to know that), and scooped it into his bag.

The three of them walked for about two blocks, at which point Eli split off. Teddy stayed with Billy a little further, something he'd never done before yesterday. It was nice.

"Sorry about earlier," Teddy said into the quiet after Eli had departed. "I know you don't have a lot of people to talk to about being gay, but I just… don't have much to say. I'm sorry you have to deal with that stuff but it doesn't really apply to me." He held his face carefully blank, afraid to reveal more than that. 

Disappointment shone clear in Billy's eyes. "Oh," he said softly. "Sorry- I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Teddy shrugged, not willing to say anything. He shouldn’t have brought it up at all. Clearly, Billy hadn’t been thinking about it anymore; it was only Teddy who turned over their earlier words in his mind, considering all the things he could have said. It took all of his focus to keep shifting- his face just wouldn't _stay put_ right now. "I'm fine," he managed to say, but the words were terse and they sounded all wrong and now Billy's head was drooping-

Fuck this.

"I owe you the truth," Teddy declared suddenly. He looked away from Billy, toward the street, unable to mask himself but embarrassed to show his emotions. "It's different for me," he admitted.

"You were talking about how if someone doesn't want guys, there's nothing you can do. And that… that's not true for me." He resolutely kept his eyes away from the witch. "I _have_ made out with guys." _I've made out with Greg,_ he didn't say. "But I've never done it as a boy."

_I've never done it as me._

The words were on the edge of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say them. If he was still himself when he was green and scaly, then maybe he was still himself when he was a girl. But there wasn't a boy alive who would be okay with everything Teddy could be. Who would be okay with it, and who wouldn't use it against him.

A tentative hand reached his shoulder, and Teddy closed his eyes before emotion could leak. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I just don't know what to tell you, when you've got such a different story then mine."

"That really sucks," Billy said emphatically, but Teddy shrugged.

"Like you said, I've never been beaten up."

"Something which also sucks," Billy agreed, "but it doesn't need to be comparative."

"Yeah," Teddy shrugged. He opened his eyes and looked down at Billy, the need for shifting mostly gone. "Yeah, it did suck, and it was honestly pretty dumb of me, but that's not something I do anymore."

"Good," Billy smiled. "Um. I'll see you?"

"Wha- oh, yeah." Startled, Teddy realized they were nearly at the place he'd left Billy the last time. "Hey, um. Thanks," he got out before rushing to the station.  
\- - -

B. Kaplan, 7:58pm, _Worst thing you’ve ever used your powers for_  
B. Kaplan, 7:59pm, _On purpose_  
B. Kaplan, 7:59pm, _I once tried to magic my brothers stuffed manatee into a life size one so I could use it as a bean bag chair. Didn’t work tho_  
T. Altman, 8:03pm, _If worst means ridiculous, I once shifted into Bob Ross_  
B. Kaplan, 8:05pm, _Why?_  
T. Altman, 8:09pm, _To paint happy little trees_  
\- - -

B. Kaplan, 8:46am, _You had your powers since you were born, right?_

T. Altman, 10:01am, _Yeah, as long as I can remember_  
B. Kaplan, 10:12am, _What was that like?_  
T. Altman, 10:14am, _Dunno. It’s a part of me, but also a secret_  
T. Altman, 10:15am, _I spent most of my younger days pretending to be various superheroes._  
B. Kaplan, 10:18am, _So did I and I couldn’t turn into them_  
T. Altman, 10:20am, _No wonder you offered to join a team when you didn’t know what you were doing_  
B. Kaplan, 10:21am, _Hey, Iron Lad knew that when he asked._  
B. Kaplan, 10:21am, _Who’s your favorite Avenger?_  
\- - -

Their next training meeting came, and Teddy found himself looking forward to his time as Hulkling more and more. He may not have felt like they were truly _heroes_ yet, but at least he could feel the four boys coming together as a team.

When Billy waved to him as he entered the Avengers' Mansion, Teddy felt light. This was going to be a _great_ training session, he knew already. He was in control of himself, with people he trusted, and if a cute boy was smiling at him then nothing could go wrong.

Then Iron Lad stepped forward. Teddy focused on him, noticing that Nate looked... _twitchy._ Nate was still wearing the mask, expression strange and bleak. His armor looked as impenetrable as ever, morphing between menacing spikes and fortifying plates and who-knows-whats that were probably 30th century means of causing hurt. It was as though the suit was trying to protect him, Teddy realized. As though Iron Lad thought he was in danger.

Teddy knew Eli had come to the same conclusion by the way he suddenly drew himself up, standing alert with his eyes trained on Iron Lad. Even Billy seemed to sense that something had made the others nervous, his friendly demeanor falling by the wayside to make room for confusion.

"Um. Hello." Seemingly aware that all eyes were already on him, Iron Lad jumped straight into the preamble that he had prepared. "I think... there's something I think you deserve to know. And maybe I should have told you sooner, but I needed to know I could trust you first." Teddy wasn't sure how he felt about that, whether to be glad they'd secured the boy's trust or upset that it took so long for him to believe in them. 

It stopped mattering, in the next few seconds. Iron Lad took off his helmet, and Nate stared at all of them with young, wide eyes, vulnerable and sincere. It was a moment for holding your breath, and Teddy consciously forced his lungs to keep going as they waited for Nate's announcement.

"There's a reason I know Kang is coming," he said finally. "This armor- I stole it from him. He's coming here, to this time, where I took the armor, because- well, he's coming _because_ I'm here. With the armor."

"You're leading him straight to us," Eli accused, "and when the Avengers couldn't protect you, you assembled your own out of a group of untrained _teenagers_."

Nate nodded miserably, metal-clad fingers curling into the back of the couch. "I was scared," he defended himself somberly. "Wouldn't you have been, if it was you?"

"So then why didn't you just ditch the suit?" Teddy asked.

"How did you steal from _Kang the Conqueror_ in the first place?" Billy cut in. 

"I did what I had to. I didn't want to become-" Nate choked off. "It's not the suit he's after," Nate finally admitted. "But without it, I don't- I don't stand a chance. He’s going to _make me-_ I don't want to _be like him._ "

"You're Nathaniel Richards," Teddy realized aloud. The room froze, his words hanging in the air like a silencing spell.

It didn't make sense. Nate was his teammate- he was his _friend_. Iron Lad was-

It made too much sense.

The silence was penetrated by a sob. Nate, still clinging to the couch while his exposed face was shiny with tears, nodded. "Y-yeah," his voice broke, "yeah, I am. And I'm- I grow up to be Kang the Conqueror."

" _WHAT!?_ "

Eli's enraged shout, and then a drop like a bomb going off. Or an air horn. A large stone monument shattering, a tornado blowing winds through a parade of flutes and wind chimes. Teddy thought he could hear Eli saying more words, but suddenly the room was hard to breathe in and he wasn't quite sure what was going on. 

The couch snapped in two, suddenly. Nate temporarily lost his balance before floating up in the air, so high that Teddy had to crane his neck to see him.

" _-can't believe you! What kind of-_ "

The air scratched at Teddy's throat painfully. Were the walls really that red? He looked for Billy desperately, trying to make sense of the sudden chaos.

" _-us in danger! And you expect us to believe you're NOT evil-_ "

Billy was glowing blue. His horrified gaze was focused on Nate, who- shit, was he supposed to be floating that high? He'd never done that inside before, and-

-and it was hard to focus under Eli's hurt shouting-

" _-we TRUSTED-_ "

 _And we had to earn_ your _trust,_ Teddy thought suddenly, viciously. And then the rubble started glowing blue as well, and Teddy realized they might have a problem.

"Billy!" He yelled. The witch didn't even look up. "Billy, you have to stop!" Still fighting to breathe, Teddy raced over to the luminescent boy and grabbed his arm.

Billy jerked away, coming to stare at Teddy for the first time, and Nate fell to the ground with a terrifyingly loud 'THUNK!' A detached part of Teddy focused in on the fact that Nate hadn't said anything to defend himself since Eli began shouting at him.

He wanted to say something reassuring to the time-traveler, but he was still too confused. Too angry. Too terrified. Instead, he looked away from Nate, nudging Billy gently with his elbow.

"Come on, we should go." He glanced back to Eli, who shook his head. Teddy stared back, silently insisting, until Eli at last started walking toward the door.

Of the three of them, only Billy looked back.  
\- - -

T. Altman, 10:31pm, _What do we do now_  
B. Kaplan, 10:32pm, _I don't know but I can't just pretend none of that ever happened_  
T. Altman, 10:34pm, _Me neither_  
B. Kaplan, 10:46pm, _Do you want to meet up_  
T. Altman, 10:53pm, _Yes_  
B. Kaplan, 11:00pm, _What about you Eli?_  
\- - -

Billy stood just outside the subway exit, watching for Teddy’s appearance. When the blonde emerged, Billy felt a rush of excitement and waved his arm until Teddy came toward him.

"Hey," Teddy said calmly. Billy had to look up to meet his eyes, and he saw his own eagerness reflected in Teddy’s face.

"Uh... hey," Billy said back. "What's with the backpack?"

"Oh, right." Teddy faltered, as though he’d forgotten he was wearing the bag. “Maybe... not here. D'you want to go grab lunch?"

Billy shrugged. "Sure. There's a Shake Shack a couple blocks from here? And Graham Cracker's like _right_ next to it, so...."

"Sounds perfect," Teddy agreed. "Lead the way?"

They set off, Billy not so much leading as pointing occasionally from Teddy's side. It wasn't that he was pressed so close to Teddy that it felt awkward, but the two seemed to bump into each other enough times that Billy felt himself redden every time their hands brushed or elbows knocked. 

"Any luck contacting Eli?" Teddy asked, distracting Billy from his thoughts. The mage shook his head. 

"You know I'd have told you if I'd had any. I’m pretty sure he’s purposely ignoring us. Not that I can blame him...." That last part was murmured, as Billy retreated into the same cycle of thoughts he’d been experiencing since the day Nate told them the truth.

"Don't worry; I'm sure he's not avoiding you because of what you did to Nate,” Teddy reasoned, hitting uncannily near Billy’s concerns. “He's probably just wary of getting dragged into any team stuff right now."

"Teddy, I _lost control_ ," Billy sighed. "No, wait, I didn't _lose_ anything- I _never_ knew how to control these stupid powers in the first place. You know the day Iron Lad asked me to join his team I accidentally put a kid in the hospital?"

"Where am I going, Billy?"

"Oh. Left. No, not here- next light."

"Right." Teddy plowed forward, swallowing this new information. "Well...did he at least deserve it?"

"No!" Billy cried. "Well, I mean, probably? He was a jerk, for sure, and he'd bullied me for _years_ but Teddy- I didn't know if he was even still _alive_. I didn't even know I'd had powers and then- when I found out, I thought I was a murderer." Guilt churned in his stomach, the memory of that day gripping him miserably.

"At least it was an accident," Teddy reasoned. "Before Iron Lad, I used my powers to fuck with people on purpose."

Billy stared, openly horrified. If Teddy had told him that a month ago, he wouldn’t have been surprised. Now, the words came like a slap in the face. "I didn't hurt people," Teddy said quickly. "I had this friend Greg and- anyway, it wasn't a good situation. I left that all when I met Iron Lad- night before, really. When Nate showed up, it felt like the universe was forgiving me. I was getting a new chance."

"So I was right about you," Billy sighed. "Sort of. But you didn't hurt anyone. I did, and then I- I let myself think I could be a _hero-_ "

Teddy held open the door to Shake Shack for Billy, who quietly thanked him and then stopped his self-deprecating line of conversation. Teddy looked at him in concern, but let them get burgers and shakes without any further talk of the team.

They grabbed a table, but the mood was still awkward and Billy wondered if he should have come. Maybe he shouldn’t cling so hard to this shadow of a team. Would that mean saying goodbye to Teddy, or were the two friends even without superhero shenanigans involved?

Teddy cut through his thoughts. "Your problem is pretty much just about control, right?" Billy didn't meet his eyes, but he didn't disagree. "Hey, it's okay. Eli and I grew up with our powers, and Nate's suit is apparently telepathically connected to him, so. It makes sense that you wouldn't have figured out how to adjust yet. Don't worry about it."

"How can I _not_ worry about it?" Billy hissed in frustration. "What if I hurt the wrong person? I don't know- I don't know _why_ I have these powers, and I don't know the limits of what I can do. This is turning out to be a hell of a lot more than just some magic lightning and we have training almost every day and I'm still no closer to mastering any of this."

Teddy didn’t speak again until Billy was clearly finished. "Hey," he said gently. "First of all, you know that's not true. If nothing else, you're a lot better at flying than you were when we started. And second, not to diss Nate's method, but telling you that Kang the Conqueror is coming to destroy us if we don't learn how to survive all the crazy training he has for us is... not the best way to get you there. I think you just need to _focus_."

"Focus on _what_ exactly? How much I don't want to die? The impending time-travelling evil that my friend turned out to be a younger version of?" Hysteria pushed its way into Billy’s voice.

"Focus on what you want," Teddy said steadily. "Decide what you want, picture it happening, say it out loud. The whole thing."

"The whole- Teddy, you sound like my mom. And she's a psychiatrist."

Teddy’s face went carefully blank at that, as though he was covering up something else. "Okay," he said, "don't punch me for this."

And then he pulled up the backpack, setting it on the table next to the burgers they'd hardly eaten. "I borrowed these from my mom," he explained. "They helped me a lot, back when I was first trying to get a better grip on the whole powers thing." He unzipped the bag, revealing three beat-up looking books. Billy pulled one out, cautiously, to read 'How to Get What You Want' in bold letters on the cover.

"Teddy." He looked up, incredulous. "Are these self-help books?" Hesitantly, Teddy nodded.

"Sorry," he fidgeted nervously. "I know it's- it's kind of ridiculous? But some of the stuff in there helped me out, so. I don't know, I guess I thought it might help you, too."

Billy stared, not sure what to think. He wanted to believe that the other boy was teasing him, but even with his face vacant and blank, Teddy's posture screamed embarrassment.

"Alright," he said slowly, "I, uh, guess it can't make things any worse?" And Teddy perked up at that, so earnest and relieved that Billy was taking him seriously. Any lingering doubts about Hulkling's trustworthiness evaporated slowly into the greasy Shake Shack air. "So, um, what do I do?"

"Well, there's this bit about repeating what you want...."  
\- - -

A couple of weeks later, they met up for the fourth time since the Nate fiasco. Teddy had his mom's books in tow, and Billy had directions to his apartment.

"My parents aren't home right now- thank god- but my brothers might come home early and I'm not technically supposed to have anyone over, so we'd better be discreet." The door swung open, and Billy made grand sweeping motions with his arms. "Welcome to the Kaplan residence. Kitchen to the right, bedrooms to the left, living room ahead. What'll it be, Altman?"

Teddy shrugged. "If we're doing magic, it might be easiest to hide the evidence in someplace your parents don't go very frequently. Do you have a secret basement or something?"

"Alas, I cannot show you our basement for fear the zombies living down there will come for you. C'mon then, my room it is."

Billy took off toward the stairs, leaving Teddy to trail behind him until he stopped in front of a door. Teddy was disappointed to see that it was completely unmarked, no indication from the outside that Billy was the one who lived there. Then the Jewish boy pushed his door open, and Teddy felt a grin overtake his face. The walls were covered in superhero paraphernalia, posters covering paint and shelves dedicated to comics and figurines. The interest stretched down to his floor, which was littered with yet more beloved merch alongside dirty clothes and old homework assignments.

"Are you overwhelmed by my nerdery yet?" Billy joked, sitting back on his bed underneath a four foot poster of the Scarlet Witch. "Last chance to run screaming."

Teddy chuckled, "I think I can handle this. Not like I didn't already know you were an obsessive fanboy." The words were said with a teasing grin, and Billy smiled back, unoffended. 

"Well in that case..." Billy trailed off, gaze fixed on something behind Teddy. "I want the door to close, I want the door to close...."

A few more repetitions and there was a flash of blue light to accompany the chanting. The door, untouched, moved behind Teddy until it clicked shut. Billy crowed in excitement, eyes flowing as he grinned. "Did you see that? It worked, it actually did what I wanted it to do besides zapping someone!"

Billy's excitement was reflected on Teddy's features as the two celebrated their little victory in Billy's bedroom. "Can you do something else?" The shapeshifter asked. Billy squinted, scanning the room for an appropriate subject. 

"I want to make the light blue," he settled on finally. "I want to make the light blue _Iwanttomakethelightblue-"_

This time, when Billy flashed with magic, the entire room stayed tinted, awash in a blue glow.

"That," Teddy exhaled, "was incredibly cool. Do you need to chant in order to make it work?" Billy shrugged, then stared intently at the lamp he'd recently adjusted. A minute passed, two minutes, before he shook his head.

"Guess so," he muttered, defeated. "That's... great."

"It is great!" Teddy insisted. "You have so much more control than you did before, you just need to practice a little bit every day."

Billy snorted. "Thanks, oh great and experienced teacher of magic."

"Well!" Teddy shrugged awkwardly. "It's how I taught myself to draw. Eventually, you stop having to think about everything so much because it's just habit. C'mon, the guys are gonna be really impressed when they see...." Teddy trailed off uncertainly.

Billy raised an eyebrow in the blond's direction. "Right," he said, his voice slightly too loud. "So that's... something we should probably talk about."

Teddy nodded, throat dry. "Yeah. Eli's still not responding, though, and I don't know if going back to the mansion's a smart idea."

"Hell no, I'm not going back there. We'll just have to find Eli. He said he worked at a library, right? How many libraries can there be that hire teenagers commuting from the Bronx?"

It took a few attempts, but all in all they were incredibly lucky. At the third library they tried, they walked inside to see Eli's bald head behind the front desk. Teddy and Billy saw him before Eli saw them, and by the time he noticed they were pretty much right in front of him. Eli narrowed his eyes and looked away, and for a moment Teddy was afraid that he wouldn't talk to them even now. Beside him, Teddy felt Billy draw himself up to full height and inhale deeply. 

"Mona?" Eli called to someone Teddy couldn't see. "Mind if I take my break?"

"Go ahead." The voice came from a short, Asian woman emerging from behind the much taller bookshelves. "Let me know when you get back."

Eli nodded. "Of course." A moment later, he came out from behind the desk and walked right past Billy and Teddy without glancing at either of them.

"Eli!" Billy matched him step for step as they raced to the exit. "You can't just keep avoiding us, we have to talk about it sometime."

"I know." Patriot pushed open the doors forcefully and walked outside without looking back.

"Enough is enough," Billy kept going. "You weren't wrong before; I was mad at Nate for using us like that, too. But you can't just shut us out forever."

"I know," Eli repeated. He faced them, finally, arms crossed over his chest. "I've been thinking about this too, you know. I'm still not sure I did the right thing, pretending to be a hero- and Iron Lad _definitely_ did the wrong thing, pretending we were saving the world when it was really all for his scrawny ass. But, well, this mess is ours, now. Might as well see it through."

Eli was calmer than Teddy had ever seen him, and he couldn't help but stare at the rational creature that had replaced his hotheaded friend. "What?" the impostor asked sulkily.

"You're usually angrier," Billy said bluntly.

Eli snorted. "Yeah, well, HRT will do that to a guy. And I'm not... I don't think I'm meant to be a superhero. But, even though I'm mad at him, I don't think I can just ditch Nate."

Teddy nodded. "Whatever might happen in the future, we can't really blame Nate for becoming Kang. Not when he's so obviously terrified of the idea. And if we have these powers, even if half of us don't know _why_ , then we have the responsibility to at least try to save him."

Eli made a face a bit like a grimace, but he nodded. Billy, on the other hand, looked unconvinced by Teddy's words. "Do you think it's safe to be around him?" he asked quietly. "Even if he's not Kang yet, he's using his armor."

Teddy met Eli's eyes for a moment. "I guess we need to decide, then," Teddy said aloud. "How much do we trust Nathaniel Richards?"

Billy looked down at his feet, while Eli actually looked contemplative. "My answer's the same as it was before," Teddy offered. "Nate might turn into the most evil time traveler we know of, but he's not him yet."

"And if he is, even a little bit, we're not going to find out about it unless we're on his team," Eli pointed out. Teddy met his eyes and saw firm resolve. Friends close. Enemies closer. It wasn’t about forgiveness; Eli would see this through to the end no matter what.

"What if... it's not Iron Lad I don't trust?" Teddy's eyes snapped down to Billy, who was still staring at a spot on the concrete below him.

"What do you mean?" Eli asked sharply, but Teddy was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"Well, if having superpowers means being responsible for protecting people..." Billy drew in a breath, and it sounded like it hurt him. "We have to protect them from ourselves, too. I still can't control my magic- I don't even _understand_ it! Eli's right; having powers isn't what makes you a hero, not if you don't use them well."

"Billy, no," Teddy protested. "You're getting so much better!"

"Yeah, now I can change lightbulbs without touching them, _go magic powers_. I've _hurt people_ , Teddy. What happens the next time I get angry? I could- I could end up seriously injuring someone completely _defenseless_ -"

"Billy, forget about that kid from school," Teddy ordered. "He had it coming to him, anyway. And if you're talking about Nate, I'm sure he's fine."

"You don't know that for sure! Even if he is, it's only because of that magic future armor. I didn't know what I was _doing_ , and I don't. I still don't know how much damage I can do."

Eli looked between Teddy and Billy, clearly befuddled but thankfully silent. Billy swallowed, fear visible on his features. If nothing else came of any of this, Teddy knew he never wanted to see that expression on Billy's face again. Especially not because he was afraid of _himself_.

"We have to go back to the mansion," he said quietly. "This all starts and ends with Iron Lad. No one's getting forced to come, obviously, but if you're in, we should coordinate."

Eli nodded. "No more ignoring you guys," he promised. "I've got to go back to work though, so." He waved goodbye before turning back to the library.

"I'm sorry," Billy muttered. "You've helped so much, but... I'm not there yet."

"Don't apologize to me." Lightly, Teddy put his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "It's all up to you. If you're ready to walk away from this team, I won't stop you. But Billy, you might never get another chance to be a superhero."

Billy inhaled deeply. "I know."  
\- - -

B. Kaplan, 4:37am: _I'm in._

E. Bradley, 7:54am: _I get off work at noon_  
T. Altman, 8:09am: _Meet outside the mansion at 1?_

E. Bradley, 12:03pm: _On my way_

B. Kaplan, 12:48pm: _I'm here_  
\- - -

"Nate!" Billy called as Teddy pushed open the gate to the mansion. "Iron Lad?"

"Do we even know where he lives?" Eli asked. "I really don't feel like searching this entire building for our shiny metal boy."

"You won't have to," Teddy said quietly. "The suit's right here," he pointed to the corner of the living room. Sure enough, the Iron Lad suit was lying on the floor like a headless cadaver. The helmet sat apart from the rest of it, on the floor in front of the two halves of the couch. Irrationally, seeing the suit without Nate felt like seeing his teammate dead. Teddy scanned frantically for the boy, but he was nowhere in sight.

"I didn't know he even took that thing off," Eli said in awe. "Thought it was like a second skin or something, even when he was sleeping. Or showering."

"What if he left?" Billy asked, stifling a yawn with his hand. "If he left the suit here… maybe he's not coming back."

Eli voiced his doubt. "I don't think so. The way he was attached to that thing? I don't think he would have left it behind just because his boy band broke up."

"But if it's how Kang was tracking himself-"

A loud creak cut Billy off, and the three of them turned to see Nate through the open front door. He had a hot dog in one hand, half-eaten already, and a plastic bag in the other. _Food,_ Teddy realized, and then mentally kicked himself for not realizing that a sixteen year old living on his own would need to eat. Intent on consuming his hot dog, Nate didn’t notice them at first. He took another bite before looking up and froze with his mouth still full of food.

He looked so human like this, Teddy thought. He looked as much of a kid as the rest of them.

Nate took a step back, provoking Billy to call "hey, wait! Iron Lad, please!" Hesitantly, Nate looked around at the three of them before settling his gaze on Teddy.

"We wanted to talk," Teddy said. He raised his open palms placatingly, and Eli and Billy followed suit. "Please."

"You're not...still angry with me?" Nate asked. Eli snorted.

"Can’t promise you that one. But, angry or not, we're a team until we say we aren't. And so far, none of us is walking away from this." Eli looked at Nate meaningfully, and the time traveler nodded.

A beat of silence.

"Are you afraid of me?" Nate asked suddenly.

"You're not Kang," Teddy replied even as Eli went, "You're kidding me, I could take you in a heartbeat without that suit." Their hands fell, and Nate looked satisfied with that until Billy spoke up.

"Why did you ask us to help you?"

Nate blinked. "The Avengers would not help me, and the three of you have connections to them that grant you invaluable abilities."

"What _connections,"_ Billy asked angrily. "And how did _you_ know when _I_ didn't? And most importantly, _why would you ask me to be a hero when the only magical thing I'd ever done was HURT SOMEONE?"_

The three boys stared openly at Billy, who looked desperately at Nate. He was breathing heavily, but all of the anger seemed to have drained out of him. "Tell me you didn't just want us to be weapons," he said miserably. "Tell me that when you found a bunch of super powered teenagers and convinced us we were doing the right thing, we actually were."

Nate drew in a breath, then released it without saying anything. "I don't know if it was right anymore," he admitted finally. "I put you all in danger, selfishly, and I hung on to this team because it was all I had. I just wanted to be an Avenger, but when I came to a time when the Avengers were disbanded I sought out people my age to form a new team. I swear, Asgardian, I meant for us to be superheroes."

Billy's eyes went vacant, no response to Nate's claim forthcoming. "I know you may want to be done. I don't know anything about magic and I haven't exactly been the greatest teacher." Nate addressed Teddy and Eli now. "Thank you for sticking it out this long with me. I completely understand if you want to leave."

"Didn't I just say we'd talked about this and decided that nobody wants to leave yet?" Eli said harshly. Teddy nodded in agreement.

"None of us did this for you. We've all got our own reasons, but… we need each other. We all need this team."

"Forget this crap about trying to be heroes," Eli advised. "We can't draw a line that easily when we've all done some shit. But we've been at it too long to be anything but a team, and if we want to be a team that punches assholes like Kang then I say let's do it."

Teddy nudged Billy, prompting him to speak. "Not heroes, then. People. But we should still save anyone we can."

"Starting with Nate Richards," Teddy declared, and his team nodded.  
\- - -

Billy squeezed his eyes tight. _“IwishIwasbetteratflyingIwishIwasbetteratflyingIwishIwasbetteratflying-"_

He shot upward, legs kicking out uselessly as he tried to maintain balance and dignity. If he went any higher, he'd collide with the ceiling; his teammates were already too far below.

The holograms had superpowers, and while it was cool to see a villain conjure clouds and zip past with super speed, it was also incredibly overwhelming. Billy was just glad Nate could tell them in advance what the simulated villains were going to do.

"Asgardian, can't you zap the thing?" Eli asked from below. Billy tried to shout back, but it turned into a sort of scream as his vision was suddenly blocked by his cape, wrapped around his face by the wind.

"Asgardian. Billy." Nate flew near him. "Calm down." Billy was breathing too quickly. _How_ was he supposed to be _calm?_

He focused on _down,_ on not levitating every object in the room, and Billy dropped like a stone away from Nate. His landing was surprisingly soft, but Billy barely registered that he was unharmed. He drew his legs into his chest and inhaled. 

His exhales were blue. His hands were glowing blue. Why was everything blue _he didn't ask for this flashing blue lightning-_

"Billy!"

Lightning shot forward from his pulse into the simulated enemy in front of him. Eli let out a whoop of satisfaction, but Billy stared in horror.

"That was great!" The others flocked toward Billy, the hologram dissipated. He didn't acknowledge hearing anyone, head down over his legs.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Billy said unsteadily. He was still gasping for air.

"Hey, Billy," Eli sat directly in front of the witch, "breathe with me. In...two...three...out…." He coached Billy through several breaths until the caped teenager could feel his heartrate slow down.

"I didn't know where that lightning was heading," Billy revealed. "It's luck that it hit the thing it was supposed to because it could have been any of you instead."

"That's why you gotta trust us," Eli responded. "We were planning around you."

"I know but I still could end up hurting one of you."

Teddy and Eli looked at each other. "We could probably take it?" Teddy said hesitantly. "I'm not suggesting we test it out, but super strength tends to come with a healing factor. And Nate's suit can handle it."

"Besides, if we can't survive a sixteen year old who doesn't know what he's doing when you're not even trying to kill us, how are we going to fight someone who is?" Eli asked. "We've gotta be more hardy than that."

Billy nodded. The words made sense, but they did nothing to stop the terror in his veins.

"Do you want to stop?" 

Billy began to shake his head, then hesitated. "Keep going without me," he said instead. "I'm gonna… try some stuff."

The others looked on uncertainly, but ultimately turned around to give Billy the space he needed. He wanted to just curl in on himself more, to sit on the floor for a few hours. But not here. Not where they could see him.

"I want to be outside," he said under his breath. "I want to be outside." Billy closed his eyes. _"I want to be outside."_

The ground turned to rubble beneath him, the wall behind sun-warmed and rough.

Still, Billy didn't open his eyes. _"I want to be wearing my civvies,"_ he cast. A slightly unsettling texture swap occurred against his skin, and Billy hoped that his costume was in his bag where the normal clothes had been. Finally willing to look around, Billy realized he was sapped of energy. He commanded the small rocks at his feet to suspend at ankle-height, but the thought of teleporting again- or standing up, for that matter- was too much right now. And it was another hour before everyone else would be done below. What was he waiting for, anyway?

Teddy, probably. Billy sighed to himself, resisting the urge to scream. _That_ wasn't even worth thinking about. If Teddy _had_ ever liked him, Billy had royally fucked that chance up. Even if Teddy forgave Billy for screaming at him, someone as attractive as Teddy could only be interested in a scrappy, half-closeted, out of control teammate for so long.

Billy was shaken from his thoughts by the approaching footsteps of Eli and Teddy. "You're early," he pointed out in surprise.

"We were worried about you," Teddy said, his blank tone at odds with his words.

"Um. Thanks?" Billy wished he didn't feel so uncertain.

"You left your bag inside," Eli offered it to him. Billy thanked him again and reclaimed the Asgardian costume which (thankfully) was inside.

"Hey, Billy," Teddy grinned. "Watch this." He stood tall in his Hulkling form, and suddenly there were _wings_ extending outward from his back.

They were scaly and rough and green like the rest of Hulkling. Truthfully, they were kind of hideous. "Do they work?" Billy asked.

"I have no idea. Didn't want to jump off a rooftop to find out," Teddy admitted.

"I'll catch you," Billy offered, and Teddy stared at him. "W-with magic, I mean," he clarified. After a moment of consideration, Teddy agreed. Then he jumped, wings flapping furiously in rough, wide sweeps. It was obvious Teddy didn't know what he was doing; he was clunky and off-balance in the air.

Billy laughed as he ducked away from the wings to avoid getting flattened. "Maybe you should try that away from people," he suggested.

"It doesn't look like this much effort when you do it," Teddy complained.

"That's because I use magic, not muscle." To prove his point, Billy floated above the ground to meet him.

Teddy watched him for the split second before he went careening, face first, to earth. "No fair, you were supposed to prevent that," he said into the ground while Billy continued to hover over his back.

"How can you do that?" Eli demanded of the downed Hulkling. "According to the Law of Conservation of Mass, even if you change your shape you shouldn't be able to increase it."

"Maybe his bones are hollow," Billy suggested, "like birds."

"I don't know how I'm breaking the laws of physics," Teddy pushed himself upright, "But it feels fucking weird to have control over limbs that didn't used to be there."

"It feels fucking weird to try to control powers that didn't used to be there," Billy empathized.

"Yeah, I noticed," Teddy said, and Billy felt his face flush.

 _Just because we're both gay doesn't mean he likes me,_ Billy reminded himself. Teddy was watching him, his face smiling and closed off.

“So, uh…" Eli cleared his throat loudly. "If you two are just gonna fly around and stare at each other, I'm gonna head home."

"Oh, uh, yeah." Billy crashed down unsteadily, landing on his knees. "Let's go."  
\- - -

Teddy waved goodbye to Eli at what had become their usual spot, secretly thrilled at the routine they'd developed in lieu of separating the moment practice ended. The super-soldier waved back, his eyebrows raised meaningfully in Teddy's direction. Unwanted heat rushed to Teddy's face, concealed only by his reflexive shifting.

 _"So, why aren't you two dating?"_ Eli had asked him earlier, when Billy was outside and Nate wasn't listening.

 _"Because!"_ Teddy defended in a stammer, " _just because we're both gay doesn't mean he likes me."_

The look Eli had given him in return was unimpressed. " _Okay, but you_ do _like each other. So why haven't you done anything about it?"_

The words played over in Teddy's mind as he stared at his teammate, Billy seemingly oblivious to his gaze and to his thoughts. He wanted so badly to believe Eli was right, but the notion was impossible. Billy already knew Teddy was interested- it probably would have been obvious even if Teddy hadn't asked him out- but he hadn't shown any intent of his own. They hung out a lot these days, but always carefully tangent to the team. There was always an _excuse,_ a reason more than "I wanted to see you."

"Your home or mine?" Billy asked, and he meant was Teddy going home or helping Billy with magic. Teddy wished he could invite Billy to his home, into his life outside Hulkling. He wished he had something worth sharing, instead of the mess of emotions and errors that made up Teddy.

"If you want my company, I'm all yours," he said instead, and his imagination let him see Billy tint red at the words.  
\- - -

Whenever he was alone with Teddy, they seemed to end up doing magic in his bedroom. Billy just wished that was a euphemism. Here he was, lying on his bed with a gorgeous, super powered boy- who was _also gay!-_ and they weren't even looking at each other. 

The problem with powers limited only by imagination was that you had to _have_ an imagination, and Billy was running out of ideas. Ideally, staring at the posters in his room was supposed to give him some inspiration. Instead, Billy felt himself growing more and more distracted by the changeling next to him.

The bed wasn't that large. When their shoulders inevitably touched, neither moved away. It was sensory overload, almost too much for Billy to process even before their feet fell on top of each other. Everything felt charged; he was exhilarated and he was afraid and he wanted so badly to know the truth.

"Promise not to lie to me," he said then, sitting up. Teddy looked at him in surprise, but agreed as he echoed the motion. "Before, when you," Billy inhaled deeply. "When you asked me out. Before we were friends. Did you mean it?"

Teddy's face took on that carefully blank look that Billy had come to recognize as him shapeshifting to hide his emotions. _Why_ did he always do that? Teddy always looked composed and unaffected like he thought he wasn't allowed to feel anything, like Billy might scold him for any thought he disagreed with so instead Teddy had to become a blank canvas. It wasn't fair; Billy was pretty sure his emotions painted themselves across his face whether he wanted them to or not.

"Teddy," he said in frustration, "I can't read you _at all._ I thought you were playing a prank on me before when you asked me out, because- and anyway, now it doesn't really seem like something you'd do, but I still can never tell what you're thinking. _Please,_ if you're going to shift away your expressions can you at least _tell me?"_

Teddy stared at him, his blue eyes opened slightly wide on his carefully blank face. Billy stared back, waiting for the other boy to say something already. Moments passed, the prolonged eye contact getting slightly uncomfortable until Billy realized that a splotchy redness was steadily making its way across Teddy's cheeks. Billy's mouth fell open in delight as the blush spread to the shapeshifter’s ears. Teddy's stare seemed nervous now rather than blank, his eyes looking to Billy as though for confirmation of something. As though to ask _is this okay?_

Billy wanted to laugh from joy, but he kept that particular urge shoved down in his chest. Teddy _was letting him in._ His scarlet blush was so much better than a cordially polite confession, and the fact that he was now ducking his head at Billy's gaping made the picture that much more adorable. Teddy opened his mouth, and before he could think about whether it was a good idea, Billy leaned forward to cover Teddy's mouth with his own.

Teddy's cheeks were hot against Billy's, his lips smooth but dry under the mage’s own. For one short, mortifying moment, Billy froze. He wasn’t quite sure what he should be doing with his mouth now that he had achieved the objective of putting their lips together. Then Teddy moved, sucking lightly against his mouth- oh wow, that did feel nice- for a few tender seconds before pulling away.

The two boys stared at each other, both blushing now. "I like you," Teddy announced, and it would have made Billy grin if he wasn't already there. "I thought I was telling you that when I asked you out. You looked pretty disgusted by the idea at the time, so I wasn't going to bring it up again."

Billy breathed for a moment, wondering how Teddy could still think clearly when his own heart was racing.

"I like you, too," he said, blushing and feeling a bit like a middle schooler. "I didn't back then, I mean, I still thought you were straight, but-" He floundered for words. Then Teddy's hand fell on his shoulder, and the changeling smiled with blushy dimples, and Billy hoped that his propensity for projecting his emotions on his face would help him for once. "Boyfriends?" he asked hopefully.

Teddy laughed again, nodding happily. "Boyfriends." His hand moved from Billy's shoulder down his arm until it found the witch's hand and their fingers intertwined.  
\- - -

It was another two days before the team met up as a whole again, and Eli looked entirely too smug when he saw their joined hands. Hot embarrassment nearly made Teddy drop his hand away, but he held fast knowing that here, with this group of people, was the only place they could be themselves. For now.

Teddy shifted into Hulkling, the rest of the team already in uniform. Billy let go of him and floated off the ground, touching his shoulder briefly before joining the others.

"You ready for this?" Eli asked. 

“I’ve never felt ready,” Teddy laughed, honest. “But I’ve never trusted any group of people more.”

“Hurry up, slowpokes!” Billy cried from the air. Eli and Teddy exchanged grins and took off after the fliers.

This was Teddy’s new beginning, and everything was turning out alright.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Hamilton. I've been working on this fic since November, and it is by far the longest I have ever completed. Thank you to anyone who read the whole thing. :)


End file.
